34a High Street

Cadw's description

Location

On the corner of High Street and Palace Street, and incorporating No 1 Palace Street.

History

Built in the third quarter of the C19 and shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey as the Adelphi Hotel. The hotel was described as new in 1881 and was on the site of an earlier house and the town's original post office.

Exterior

Shop with former hotel rooms above, in enriched Victorian classicial style. Roughcast walls with sill bands and straight rusticated quoin strips. The hipped slate roof is on bracketed eaves, and has a brick eaves stack to the Palace Street elevation, 3 storeys. The High Street elevation is 2 bays. In the middle storey are 12-pane hornless sash windows in ornate eared and lugged architraves, keystones have scrolled sides. The upper storey has 9-pane hornless sash windows in architraves with similar keystones, and moulded upper sections continuous with a band across the storey, but are otherwise plainer than in the middle storey. The Palace Street elevation is 3-bay with similar detail, except that the L-hand bay is blind. The lower storey has an early C20 shop front to both elevations, with wooden fascia wrapped around the angle. The main doorway is in the splayed angle, with a door with glazed panel and fluted side panels, under an overlight. The Palace Street elevation has a central half-lit fielded-panel door with raised field and overlight, while the High Street elevation has a panelled door and overlight to the L. Windows are between heavy brick surrounds, and in the Palace Street elevation the 2 windows L and 3 windows R of the doorway consist of large panes between which are narrow central panes with metal glazing bars. The High Street elevation has a single large window.

Reason for designation

Listed for its distinctive later C19 commercial character in the eclectic classical style prevalent in Victorian Caernarfon, retaining well-detailed stucco facing in its upper storeys, and for its contribution to the historic integrity of the walled town.