Mostyn Art Gallery, including Office and Shop on ground floor

Cadw's description

Location

Attached to SW side of Post Office.

History

1900-1901; designed as Mostyn Art Gallery and shop premises for Lady Augusta Mostyn by G A Humphreys, architect and agent to the Mostyn Estate. Originally 5 bays, but north-east end of original Mostyn Art Gallery and shop premises now comprises part of the premises of the adjacent Post Office; gallery now 3 bays.

Exterior

Front election of three storeys and attic, three (once five) bays; faced with red brick and terracotta. Slate roof with pyramidal spire. Attic window in aedicule with rusticated pilasters, capitals and broken triangular pediment; window flanked to each side by panel of two blind cusped lights with pilasters with octagonal finials. Attic window to R of three lights with rusticated columns and pilasters, cornices with egg and dart mouldings and segmental pediments with medallion reliefs in the tympana. Moulded and modillion eaves cornice; semi-octagonal pilasters to centre bay and plain pilasters to each outer bay. Second floor window over entrance of three-lights with moulded architraves, centre light with lunette over and side lights with ornately worked panels over, the two second floor bays to R each with a larger lunette with rusticated architrave, with female figures in relief in spandrils and with keystones with medallions rising into tympana. First floor window over entrance of three sash lights with moulded architrave and cornice with words "Mostyn Art Gallery" above; to R there are two canted bay windows with moulded architraves, cornices with egg and dart moulding and ornately panelled parapets, panel over front window lights reading "AD" or "1901" and side panels ornamented with swags in relief. Ground floor entrance bay has ornate, wide semi-circular headed doorway with broken pediment. Large elaborate plate-glass shop front with Art Nouveau detailing to right hand; half-glazed doorway with overlight with scrolls is set back between convex display windows with slim colonettes. Pilasters with reliefs of female heads in capitals, frieze blocks ornamented with square panels, keystone to arch in form of cartouche with bust of winged female figure over. Early C20 cast-iron veranda of 4 bays with glazed roof. Entrance bay in form of semi-circular and gabled canopy with ridge cresting and finial and with works "Mostyn Art Gallery" above gable; circular columns, fluted at the base and with capitals, spandrils and cresting at lower soffit.

Reason for designation

One of a good group of late C19 buildings by G A Humphreys, Mostyn Estate architect who defined character of late C19/early C20 Llandudno. Group value with adjacent listed buildings.