Hotel Panorama and area railings

Cadw's description

Location

Facing the sea near the NE end of the Esplanade, some 20m from the junction with Sutton Street.

History

Terraced house, originally Malvern House, now hotel, c1877, the fourth house of a terrace of 5. The South Cliff estate was laid out for building on a grid pattern in 1864 by J H Shipway, engineer, on former Tuder estate land, sold to Dr J M Sutton of Bloomfield, Narberth. Shipway's elevations were not used, the architect may have been F Wehnert, who did similar schemes for Milford Haven and Llandudno. The Esplanade was the principal seafront terrace, built up by 1880, but little seems to have been built before 1870. Four plots were marked on the site of these 5 houses on 1864 plan, the 5 houses as built are to a different design than the others on the Esplanade. The early numbering began with the next terrace. The deeds show that the site was first leased in 1877 by J C Webster, barrister, with the site of Carnock House to the W. Described as lately erected in 1879, it was leased by John Sheldon builder to Emily Lee of The Croft.
All the moulded detail has been stripped from this house and the pair to right, but the original design can be seen on the two end houses.

Exterior

Terraced house, now hotel, painted stucco and slate roof with stuccoed end stacks. Three storeys, attic and basement, two-window range, with full-height canted bay to right and single window each floor over door to left Parapet broken for 2 stucco flat-headed dormers. Windows are 4-pane sashes mainly, 2-pane narrower sashes to canted sides of bay. Cambered heads to attic windows, second floor windows have the upper corners of the reveals rounded, cambered heads to first floor, and ground floor windows have unusual 3-sided heads. Cambered head to C20 glazed door and overlight. Cambered headed basement windows. Slight step under parapet.
Area iron railings with fleur-de-lys finials.

Interior

Lobby with modillion cornice, glazed screen with leaded coloured glass in door. Similar cornice to hall, stair with big bulbous turned newel, turned thin balusters and moulded tread ends. Main rooms altered.

Reason for designation

Included as part of a prominent later C19 seafront terrace, despite loss of external stucco detail.