Queen's Hotel, St George's Crescent

Cadw's description

Location

On corner with Clonmel Street.

History

The large-scale development of Llandudno as a seaside resort originates from the late 1840s. In 1846, Owen Williams, born on Anglesey, but in business at Liverpool is said to have proposed a resort to John Williams agent of the Mostyn family who had sponsored the enclosure of the common land below the Great Orme. A fisherman's hut below the Great Orme was the meeting place where Owen Williams and The Hon T E M Lloyd Mostyn MP developed the idea. Plans were drawn up by Wehnert & Ashdown, architects and surveyors, of Charing Cross, London. Leases were offered for sale on 29 August 1849. The Queen's Hotel dates from 1855.

Exterior

Hotel. Three storeys and attic on basement. Italianate style, with rusticated ground floor; giant order of Corinthian pilasters on first and second floors. Stucco, slate roof, sash glazing.

Corner block with 5 windows to sea front, 4 to Clonmel Street. Facing sea, 5 sash windows at attic level. Entablature to pilasters on first and second floor; sash windows in shouldered architraves on second floor; sash windows with alternating segmental and triangular pediments on first floor; sash windows with stucco voussoirs on ground floor. Left return to Clonmel Street of 3 windows in identical style with, to centre, doorway with porch with paired Ionic columns. Then narrower bay set slightly back. Rear block advanced with rounded corner; four storeys over basement; hipped slate roof. Camber-headed windows to top floor, windows with bracketed cornices on second floor, windows with triangular pediments on first floor. Facing Clonmel Street, 2 ground floor splayed bay windows descend to basement level.

Facing sea, to R of corner block, a further 5 windows, in same style as other buildings in terrace. Strip dormer to attic; modillion eaves cornice, five 2nd floor windows in shouldered architraves; centre first floor window with segmental pediment, others in plain architraves; ground floor windows with stucco voussoirs.

Balustered dwarf forecourt wall.

Reason for designation

Mid C19 building forming part of the sea front, the most important part of the planned Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno. Group value with adjacent listed buildings.