Dolafon

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the south-west side of Stryd Fawr (High Street), set back from the road in a stone-walled garden with several tall trees.

History

Built in the 1860s or '70s, probably as a guest house but possibly originally as a private house, in either case reflecting the increasing importance of Llanberis as a centre for visitors, tourists and retired residents in the second half of the C19. The positioning of its main entrance to the side, thus ensuring maximum exposure of its principal rooms to the front, suggests that the building may have been purpose-built as a small hotel.

Exterior

Hotel. Mildly Gothic style in 3 storeys. Snecked rubblestone with painted returns and floorband to first floor and bracketed string courses to very slightly projecting bargeboarded gables which are tile hung to the apexes; slate roof. 1:1:1 bays retaining original fenestration; 10-light mullioned and transomed windows to second floor of gables with 4-paned sash to central tile-hung gabled dormer in roof slope; first floor has triple sash windows in chamfered stone surround to outer bays and central window consisting of 5 grouped sashes with tiny rectangular openings above, directly below bracketed eaves. Ground floor has paired sashes with chamfered head and stone cills to centre flanked by a window like those to the outer bays on the first floor to the right and a canted bay window with sashes and chamfered stone surround to the left. The entrance is to the left in a gabled stone porch with hoodmould over outer arch and inner boarded door; single-storey section behind now has flat roof.

Interior

Interior not accessible at time of Survey.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-detailed later C19 house, which represents a particularly good example of the distinctive domestic gothic style employed for the guest houses and villas which characterise the later C19 development of the town.