Former Assembly Room and Market House, Conrad House

Cadw's description

Location

Forming the S downhill side of the square at the top of St Mary Street.

History

Built as an Assembly Rooms 1807 and Market House and used in C20 as a cinema, later as offices and bank. Originally incorporated a carriage entrance at left to the hotel yard to rear adjacent to the market entrance which led to an open yard; a covered market was proposed here in C19 but never executed. The Market Hall went out of use in c 1870. Substantially remodelled since listing in 1975 when it was still a cinema; list description refers to many features no longer extant including those attributed to the Assembly Room then incorporating a musicians gallery.The C20 reconstruction was based on an early photograph of the building in 1860s held by the Museum.

Exterior

Former Georgian Assembly Rooms, attached at one side to the Beaufort Hotel. Rendered walls; low double pitched slate roof behind moulded parapet cornice. A rectangular building 4 bays wide, downhill staircase bay stepped back, and 3 bays deep. Two storeys. First floor has Georgian style windows with glazing bars and semicircular heads, generally set in arched recesses, centre right with margin glazing; continuous sillband is part of the entablature round the two sides. Ground floor has plateglass fitted into 4 full length segmental-arched openings, centre right flanked by paired half-round columns. Side elevation has slightly advanced central bay, similar first floor windows, centre margin-glazed; segmental arched openings to ground floor;

Interior

Late C20 offices on both floors.

Reason for designation

Listed as an important originally Georgian public building, stylishly though substantially remodelled. Group value with other listed buildings in Beaufort Square and the top of St Mary Street.