The Westgate PH

Cadw's description

Location

At the junction of Cowbridge Road East and Cathedral Road and about 250m west of Cardiff Bridge.

History

A public house built in 1932 and designed by Sir Percy Thomas. It remains externally unaltered.

Exterior

Built of red brick in Flemish bond, with Portland stone dressings and a Welsh slate roof. Balanced corner neo-Georgian style design with segmental corner containing the main entrance, and almost matching frontages to Cowbridge Road East and Lower Cathedral Road. 1:4:1:4:1 bays with the single bays slightly recessed and framed by quoins. Stone plinth, quoins, bands, keystones and door surrounds. The entrance bay has a large doorway with moulded frame and bracketted head, rectangular fanlight with sunrise tracery, large projecting lantern over. This is flanked by 4 over 4 pane sash windows and with a 6 over 6 pane one above. The four window bays have keyed 9 over 9 pane sashes on the ground floor and 6 over 6 pane ones with rubbed heads above. The fourth bay to Lower Cathedral Road has a plain doorway with fanlight instead of the window. The end bays have a doorway with moulded surround and fanlight, with a 4 over 6 pane sash above to Cowbridge Road East and a cart entrance now filled with a multi-pane window with a 4 over 6 pane sash above to Lower Cathedral Road. Steeply sloped roof with overhanging eaves and three tall brick stacks with weathered stone caps.

Interior

Only the ground floor was seen at resurvey. This has been opened out into one bar space from separate rooms, but the room shapes and planning survive with the plastered ceiling beams and dentil cornices.

Reason for designation

Included as a rare and complete example of a large city centre public house of fine design dating from the 1930s.