The Esplanade Hotel and railings

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the corner of The Esplanade and St Florence Parade.

History

Terraced house now hotel, c1874, the first house of a terrace of 5. The South Cliff estate was laid out for building on a grid pattern in 1864 by J H Shipway, engineer, on former Tuder estate land, sold to Dr J M Sutton of Bloomfield, Narberth. Shipway's elevations were not used, the architect may have been F Wehnert, who did similar schemes for Milford Haven and Llandudno. The Esplanade was the principal seafront terrace, built up by 1880, but little seems to have been built before 1870. Four plots were marked on the site of these 5 houses on the 1864 plan, the 5 houses as built are to a different design than the rest of the Esplanade. The deeds show that this was originally Worcester House, leased in 1874 by J.C. Webster, barrister, to W Stewart, barrister, to complete and make habitable. Occupied in late C19 by G Sinnett, blacksmith (of 10 Croft Terrace in 1881), and by Sinnett family to 1933. Rear wing to St Florence Parade added c1985, all the external stucco mouldings were restored in timber c1996.

Exterior

Terraced house, now hotel, painted stucco and slate roof with stuccoed end stacks. Three storeys, attic and basement, two-window range, with full-height canted bay to left and single window each floor to right. Parapet broken for 2 stucco flat-headed dormers and ornamented with applied stucco panels each side of each window. Panels have moulded surrounds with rebated corners. Windows are 4-pane sashes mainly, 2-pane narrower sashes to canted sides of bay. Cambered heads to attic windows, moulded surrounds with keystones to second floor windows, the upper corners of the reveals rounded, cambered window heads to first floor with stucco pilasters and moulded heads, ground floor windows have unusual 3-sided heads in surrounds with pilasters and moulded stilted square head. Cambered headed basement windows. Moulded cornice between second and third floors, slight step under parapet. Entrance is in right side to St Florence Parade, gable wall stepped forward to right, one-window range each side, with porch in angle. Area iron railings with fleur-de-lys finials.

Interior

Ground floor largely altered.

Reason for designation

Included as part of a prominent later C19 seafront terrace.