Denbigh Conservative Club (Former Constitutional Club)

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently sited on a narrow triangular corner plot between Portland Place and Highgate.

History

Built in 1891as the Denbigh Constitutional Club and designed by R Lloyd Williams, architect of Denbigh; the contractor was J Simon Roberts of Plough Inn, Denbigh. The club was built by share-holders (including Lloyd Williams himself, formerly the club's secretary), and was opened in March 1892, alas not by Mr A J Balfour, as had been planned. The original design included a billiards room facing the High Street and incorporated three let shops below (facing Portland Place).

Exterior

Two-and-a-half storey building of irregular triangular plan in simple municipal Gothic style. Of red brick construction with terracotta detailing and built on a snecked, quarry-faced stone plinth at the narrow (E) end; medium-pitched slate roof with tiled ridges and hipped ends. Asymmetrical S elevation, following the gentle upward incline of Highgate. This has a large pointed-arched entrance with stopped and moulded label and a recessed entrance; plain panelled doors and overlight. Above this is a pointed-arched moulded niche with ogee moulded label terminating in a foliated finial. Within the niche is a foliate relief carving with the date 1891. A gabled lateral chimney, which rises above this, has lost its stack. To the R of this are 2 narrow ground-floor windows with shouldered arches and chamfered jambs. Projecting outwards above these windows is a shallow oriel with 3 similar, squat windows. This projection is carried on 3 decorative corbels with segmentally-arched spans; dentilated cornice with surmounting crenellated parapet.

To the L of the entrance is a pair of small windows with tall paired windows above; plain sashes throughout. Beyond this is a shouldered arched entrance with boarded door and further pairs of sashes to both floors. At the far L is a similar entrance with large segmental basement light to the R and 2 tall, shouldered-arched windows above. This left-hand section has a dentilated cornice and a central staged chimney with chamfered ends and moulded upper courses. The narrow east-facing end is gabled and has a parapet with terracotta capping, returned around onto the sides and sloped up on the Highgate side (S). The stone plinth section has a rounded projection which advances in front of the gable end and has surmounting decorative railings. This has 3 rectangular windows with stopped-chamfered jambs. The principal, raised ground floor has a shouldered-arched entrance with three-quarter glazed doors and leaded overlight. Above this is a chamfered rectangular niche with modern sign within; a moulded stringcourse rises up above this and returns onto both side elevations, terminating at the oriel projection on the S side; paired, shouldered sashes above with blind trefoil in the gable apex.

The Portland Place elevation has 3 simple modernised shop fronts to the ground floor, stepping down sequentially with the downward incline of the road on this side. These have a series of moulded brackets which carry a modernised fascia with moulded and dentilated cornice above. The first floor has two groups of 3 vertical shouldered-arched windows with sashes and leaded upper lights; projecting sills. To the R of these is a further pair of similar windows to a flush end bay with stepped-down eaves line. Bracketed cornice decoration above a terracotta frieze with 'Constitutional Club' in raised letters. The roof has 2 pairs of modern hipped dormers, with plain wooden casement glazing.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a robustly-detailed late Victorian building in the expressive Gothic idiom favoured for municipal architecture, showing a good use of materials and providing an imaginative response to the demands of a restricted urban site.

Group value with other listed items in Portland Place.