Presbytery at Catholic Church of St Peter including forecourt railings

Cadw's description

Location

To the E of the church at the junction with Bedford Street.

History

Built in 1872 by W.P. James, architect of Cardiff, for the fathers at St Peters church, of 1861, and St Peters School, which was also built in 1872 and formerly stood opposite the church.

Exterior

A simple Gothic style 2-storey Presbytery with double-depth plan, of snecked rock-faced stone with lighter freestone dressings, and slate roof with coursed stone ridge stacks. The walls are set back from the street behind cast iron railings attached to the porches in the St Peters Street and Bedford Street elevations. Windows have mainly cusped heads and incorporate either 2-pane sash windows or replaced top-hung casements. The main entrance is in the 3-window elevation S to St Peter Street. The central ashlar-fronted porch has a steep gabled roof and a trefoiled arch with a single marble shaft and stiff-leaf capitals, and double iron gates with fleur-de-lis finials. A half-lit panelled doors has a shouldered lintel and pointed overlight. The door is flanked by tall cusped windows with iron bars. The sides of the porch have 3 open cusped arches. A single-light window is to the L and in the upper storey a 3-light window over the porch and single light window to the L are both carried above the eaves beneath gablets. To the R of the entrance is the gable end of the Bedford Street front. This has a canted bay window under a hipped roof, above which is a 2-light window with relieving arch.

The 4-window L (W) side wall, facing the church, has 2 half-hipped bays to the roof. In the lower storey are V-shaped windows in ashlar surrounds with shouldered lintels, with pairs of windows above. Further N the cloister and sacristy of the church are attached at right angles.

The E front facing Bedford Street has 4 pairs of windows, to the R of which is a 3-light window then a steep gabled porch. The porch has a shouldered lintel to the doorway with pointed overlight, and side windows. A replaced door inside the porch has a pointed overlight. The upper storey has 2 pairs of windows under gablets to the centre and L, to the R of which is a 3-light window under a half-hipped roof.

A lower projection at the N end is continuous with the Bedford Street elevation and has a single end stack. It has 3-light and 2-light windows under shouldered lintels and a pair of cusped lights upper L under a half-hipped roof. Its N gable end has a boarded door in the lower storey, a window with shouldered lintel L and a plain window upper L. Its W side wall has 2 lintelled windows in the lower storey and cusped half-dormer above.

Interior

The interior is planned around a long central corridor from the main entrance, which also provides direct access to the sacristy and church.

Reason for designation

Listed for its architectural quality as a distinctive Gothic design retaining good external detail, and for group value with the church of St Peter.