Castlebank Hotel

Cadw's description

Location

The northernmost of a pair with Llys llewelyn of houses with large gardens set back from and at R angles to the street.

History

Built in the mid C19, as a pair with Llys Llewelyn, sharing a similar design but different materials. Both are first shown on the 1889 Ordnance Survey.

Exterior

A Georgian style castellated 3-bay double-pile house of 2 storeys with attic and basement. Of snecked rock-faced stone with lighter freestone dressings and quoins, coped parapet on corbelled eaves, slate roof behind crow-stepped gables and end stacks to each pile with paired stone shafts. Symmetrical front with each window bay advanced, the central bay brought slightly forward and outer bays brought even further forward, all under gables with finials. The entrance has a half-glazed panel door (the glazing is probably inserted into an older door). Windows are 12-pane hornless sashes in the ground and first floors under lintels with tripartite keystones. Above the central 1st-floor window is a freestone lozenge tablet. The attic has corbelled replacement small-pane windows to the L and R and central 6-pane sash window.
Gable ends and rear of the main house are of rubble stone. In the 2-window R gable end windows are grouped to the centre. They have 12-pane hornless sashes, although on the L side the original lower sash has been replaced by a 2-pane sash. A small-pane attic window is L of centre. To the R is a replaced basement window in an original opening in a lightwell and under a tripartite lintel.
The rear has a 2-storey hipped central projection of pebble-dashed walls and end stack. It is flanked by original 1st-floor 12-pane hornless sash windows, above added 1-storey projections. The attic has 4-pane windows to gabled half-dormers R and L.
Set back to the L of the front is a C20 1-storey 3-window wing in materials matching the main house. It has tall 12-pane horned sash windows over 4 small basement windows. A late C20 wing has been added behind.
Slate steps lead up R and L of the entrance, and have fretwork-style cast-iron railings with wreathed handrail and moulded newels. Between the entrance steps is a cambered lintel to a replacement basement window. To the L and R are replacement basement small-pane windows in lightwells, and incorporating a keyed lintel to the L-hand.

Interior

The double-depth house is centrally planned. Its hall has a full-height open-well stair with turned balusters, wreathed handrail and scrolled tread ends. Doorways to the main rooms have panelled reveals. In the R-hand front room is an original slate fireplace. The L-hand room retains original plasterwork to the ceiling, including central rose and moulded cornice.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a well-preserved mid C19 suburban house of unusual character, one of a pair with Llys Llewelyn.