Wharf House

Cadw's description

Location

A detached building on the former Greaves Wharf, facing Cornhill beyond the S end of Lombard Street.

History

Porthmadog Harbour was developed from the 3rd decade of the C19, at first by landowner and improver William Madocks (1773-1828). The Act of Parliament for Porthmadog Harbour was passed in 1821 and by 1824 the new port was already ready to receive vessels of up to 70 tons (1ton=1.016 tonnes) laden. To comply with the provisions of the Act of Parliament, Madocks had a short stone quay built at Cornhill, which henceforth became the commercial centre of the port. Slate companies who purchased wharves were responsible for building their own quays. Oakleys and Greaves Wharf was a single construction for John Greaves (who opened his own quarry in 1846) and the Rhiwbryfdir Slate Company (founded 1838) in the mid C19. The wharf is mentioned by Owen Morris in 1856.

Wharf House was built in the mid C19, probably contemporary with Greaves Wharf, as the house and office of the wharf manager. It is shown on the 1871 Tremadog estate plan, 1885 harbour survey and on the 1888 Ordnance Survey. It is now subdivided into apartments.

Exterior

A 1½-storey house of large slate-stone blocks laid in regular courses, under a slate roof, half-hipped to the R, on deep projecting eaves. There are 2 stone ridge stacks, to the centre and L, and one stack on the rear wing. A gabled porch to the L of centre has a replacement panel door and glazed side panels, beneath an original boarded gable with vertical and arched ribs. Side walls of the porch have small windows with leaded glazing. A single window to the L and 3 windows to the R of the porch are all replacements in earlier openings. The second window R of the porch is within an earlier wide doorway under a stone lintel partially cut into by the window. The R-hand window has a vertical joint beneath its L-hand jamb, suggesting that it was also originally a doorway. Two gabled dormers placed to the R of the porch have replacement windows.

The pebble-dashed R (S) end wall (described as slate-hung in the previous survey) has an added balcony on 2 square piers, with glazed door, an inserted and a replacement window. The L (N) gable end has a blocked doorway to the R, to the L of which is a raised band, probably defining the ridge of a former lean-to. Above is a replacement window. The rear of the main range has replacement windows either side of the rear wing. The roof of the wing has bands of fish-scale slates. Entrances to 2 of the modern apartments are in the rear wing. In its N wall are external steps to a replacement panel door. In its E gable end is a 2-storey projection housing a porch, L of which is a replacement window. The attic and S side wall also have replacement windows.

Interior

Not inspected.

Reason for designation

Listed, not withstanding recent alteration, as an important harbour-side building notable for its distinctive use of local stone and retaining definite C19 regional character, and for its important contribution to the overall historical integrity of Porthmadog harbour.