North Building (former Dept. of Preventative Medicine and Dept. of Mining), Queen's Buildings

Cadw's description

Location

At the junction with The Parade and West Grove, within the Queen’s Buildings linked by first floor walkways to Trevithick Building and West Building and up to third floor level to Central Building to rear.

History

Original east block built 1921-6 as the Department of Preventative Medicine by J.B. Fletcher, architect of Cardiff, extended west 1958-1960 as Department of Mines, most likely by Sir Percy Thomas & Son.

J.B. Fletcher had taken over the practice of E.M. Bruce Vaughan after 1919 and sought to continue Bruce Vaughan's original scheme for the Welsh National School of Medicine as a quadrangle facing Newport Road, West Grove and The Parade. The entrance tower and Department of Physiology facing Newport Road had been built 1915-19, and this north block facing The Parade is in similar collegiate Gothic style, but this was the last effort at maintaining the style of Vaughan’s ambitious vision. Vaughan’s tower was substantially rebuilt with retained façade and a new Engineering wing added on Newport Road in the early 1960s by Sir Percy Thomas & Son.

The University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire created its school of mines and metallurgy in 1891 with mining engineer Professor William Galloway (1840-1927) as its first head. In the late 1950s following the nationalisation of coal this growing department took over and extended the Preventative Medicine building with the 1920s building becoming known as New Metallurgy and the new west wing the Department of Mines (later referred to as ‘Mineral Exploitation’ or ‘MINEX’). The extension reportedly cost £300,000 and was funded by the National Coal Board. The new building was officially opened 11 March 1960 by the Duke of Edinburgh, Chancellor of the University of Wales, who delivered a speech to assembled students in the top floor lecture theatre emphasising their duty of leadership as Welsh coal was on the threshold of a new era.

In 1984 the renamed University College Cardiff began talks with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology about developing a joint faculty of engineering on Newport Road. The two institutions merged in 1988 and from 1987 to 1993 four large new buildings were added connecting the Parade and Newport Road buildings into a single agglomerated mega-structure known as the Queen’s Buildings. Following the miner’s strike of 1984-5 and the programme of closures of mines the now shrinking Mineral Exploitation department remained in its building but with reduced space, as it now shared the building with the growing School of Physics and Astronomy. The building is now generally known as the North Building.

Exterior

A building of two halves facing the Parade with the earlier medical school on the left and the post-war Department of Mines on the right, both set back from the street with basement level, entrances into both halves reached by steps. The central Modernist link section is open to vehicle access through to rear courtyard at ground floor level.

The medical school is a near symmetrical collegiate Gothic style 9-bay 4-storey north facing block with basement, with return elevation to the east side facing West Grove. Of brick with Corsham Down Bath stone dressings and ashlar central and outer bays. The slate roof is concealed behind a plain ashlar parapet, except the central and end bays which have an openwork parapet. A rich freestone cornice of relief foliage has sculpted animals over rainwater heads. An ashlar band is between ground and 2nd storeys. The central entrance is recessed beneath a corbelled canopy with segmental arch, on which 'Hygeia' is inscribed in raised Greek letters. The canopy has sculpted figures of doctors and nurses above the corbels, and cartouche with relief inscription ‘avaunt obscurity’ between. Double doors have narrow flanking lights, and mullioned round-headed overlights. The doors have vertical ribs with relief foliage and blank shields at the top, and iron strap hinges. Above the doorway the central bay has a 3-storey canted oriel window with 2-light mullioned and transomed windows which have arched lights in the upper storey. The outer canted bays are flanked by plain buttresses and have 3-light mullioned and transomed windows, with arched lights in the upper storey. To left of centre are 2-light windows lighting the stairs and set at a different level to the remaining windows. The remaining windows are 3-light with mullions and transoms, and with arched lights in the upper storey, and incorporate metal-framed casements.

The elevation facing West Grove has angle pilasters and 3 ashlar bays intended as the corner of the original quadrangle, with 2 brick bays set back on the left (south) side of an intended wing forming the E side of the quadrangle, which has unfinished quoins in the expectation of being able to pick up building of the Welsh National School of Medicine at some future stage after demolition of the Unitarian Church. Three-light mullioned and transomed windows, together with the cornice and parapet, are similar to the north front. A canted central bay projects as an oriel on moulded corbels at 2nd storey level, and has 2-light windows. A foundation stone at the angle with The Parade was laid by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1921. The south return elevation of the brick wing has single cross windows and escape door in the lower storey.

The rear of the 1926 range, facing an enclosed courtyard, has windows similar to the front, although replaced in original openings to the upper storey and part of the 3rd storey beneath. The lower storey and basement have 4 projecting bays with asymmetrical gables.

On the right side is the added wing of 1960 built for the mining engineering department. In Modernist style, concrete framed and flat-roofed with steel framed windows with concrete surrounds it consists of two nested cuboids with a taller five storey inner block clad in bath stone ashlar panels that matches the height of the tower on Newport Road, wrapped in a four-storey brick faced block that mirrors Fletcher’s medical school on its left. Middle section linking to left wing raised with vehicle underpass at ground floor level, above ribbon windows at first, second and third floors divided by bath stone panels. To right of this is the block dressed in bath stone panels with four lights to each level from basement to fourth floor. Projecting forward to right of this is horizontal rectangular section with nine bays ribbon glazed with brick facing. Four lights to each bay divided by brick pilasters, leftmost bay is entrance reached by concrete steps at street level. Entrance is two bays wide deeply inset with bath stone surround and projecting large bath stone panels to either side, possibly meant for inscriptions but so far left blank. Timber double doors with large plate glass panels and light to either side with deep coffering surround. Left-most bay above now meets the overhead walkway from the 1989 Trevithick Building. Recessed stone clad top floor has horizontal three light windows to seven bays (to Prince Phillip Lecture Theatre) and then returns with flat roof over the last two bays.

Northwest and southwest corners of the four-storey block are indented with bath stone ashlar facing. Right elevation faced in brick meets another overhead link at first floor level to the West Building. Four light horizontal bands to each level to left of this link, which has side entrance reached by steps below and two-light windows to the levels above, with single lights to staircase to right. Rear elevation matches front, brise soleil added in 2015, single windows to stone clad inner block on far right shortly before building meets the 1990s Central Building. Astronomical observatory dome on roof of inner block is a 1960s Ash Dome made in Illinois USA, relocated here from the top of what is now the Psychology Tower of Cardiff University on Park Place.

Interior

The two halves retain their own entrance lobbies but from first to third floors are integrated by continuous central corridors from east to west. The entrance lobby to the former Medical School retains fielded wooden wall panels. On its left side is a simple open-well stair with plain iron balusters. An L-shaped spine corridor has terrazzo floors and leads to the main rooms and laboratories through half-glazed panel doors with small-pane glazing. The teaching rooms and laboratories have tile walls and parquet floors.

Former Mining school foyer dominated by sculptural frieze made up of bath stone panels depicting two miners with heroic physiques working a shaft with a railed conveyor behind them, signed ‘MC 1954’ at lower right corner. This is believed to be the work of Mitzi Cunliffe (1918-2006) and its early date suggests the building may have been designed around it rather than the other way around. Walls are bath stone clad and floors in terrazzo with pair of grooved cylindrical columns to left (another pair has been boxed). Terrazzo staircases with red and black mosaic lozenges and treads to rear of foyer and at southwest corner are mounted on paired concrete rails with steel banisters and timber handrails. Prince Phillip Lecture Theatre is reached by additional short flight of steps on fourth floor up to landing with glass brick walled side office. The lecture theatre is a rake down to low west end with side doors out onto lower flat roof. This and other teaching rooms have been refurbished.

Reason for designation

The North Building is of special interest and Listed at Grade II, notwithstanding alterations to incorporate the building with later Queen’s Buildings, for the following principal reasons:

Architectural Interest. The eastern block is a well-detailed inter-war Gothic Revival structure. The western block is a notable effort at reconciling International Modernism with earlier eras responding to both Fletcher’s school and Vaughan’s Tower in its planning and materials.

Historic Interest. Illustrative of the development of Cardiff University particularly the development of Welsh medicine and engineering. The Department of Mines’ foyer sculptural frieze is an important work of public art portraying a heroic image of miners in the optimistic early days of the nationalised coal industry.

Close Historical Associations with the National Coal Board in Wales and the post-war development of a modernised, technologically advanced and potentially safer coal industry.

Group Value with other Cardiff University Buildings, especially the South Building on Newport Road which is closely linked with both phases of construction.
The adjoining Trevithick, West and Central Buildings and post-1960 additions to the roof are not of special interest.