Brychan Yard

Cadw's description

Location

Between South Parade and the W side of Upper Frog Street some 85m S of the junction with White Lion Street.

History

Former stables and coach houses to the Cobourg Hotel, dated 1807 on the entrance arch. Probably not built for the Cobourg Hotel as apparently the livery stables and coach house 'equal in design to any in the kingdom' built 1807 by S P Cockerell for Sir William Paxton. These were advertised for sale in 1824 as 'capital stabling for upwards of 40 horses and standing for 12 carriages at the back of the hotel in Frog Street'. Rebuilt c1860 with polychrome stone arches to the 4 coach entries to the front, an additional two storeys above and alterations to the mews behind. The mews was owned by the Hughes and Bowers families, owners of the Cobourg and White Lion Hotels respectively, and from 1883 by the Bowers family. Brychan Rees married Hilda Bowers and their sons F B and L B Rees were noted jockeys, winning successive Grand Nationals in 1922-3 with Shaun Spadah and Music Hall. The mews remains (2001) in the ownership of descendants.

Exterior

Former livery stables with 3-storey, 5-window front range and lofted narrow courtyard behind. Front range has stone ground floor, painted roughcast upper floors and slate close-eaved roof with one right end stack. Ground floor has tall cambered arched carriage entry in centre rising above ground floor with finely jointed red-brick arch and keystone inscribed 'Built 1807'. Four 4-pane sash windows to first floor and five to upper floor. Ground floor each side of centre has 2 cambered-headed coach-house entries with alternated grey and yellow stone voussoirs, and keystones. Mid C20 shop windows and doorways in each arch, 2 shops to left, 1 larger to right.
Throughway has flat lintel to rear, probably altered, and 2-storey rear has steps up to left of throughway to raised door, centre first floor window with iron sack-hoist to right.
Mews is narrow court with lofted buildings in painted rubble stone on three sides, former stables and blacksmith's. Slate close-eaved roofs, taller and hipped on short W end range. Three original ground floor openings each side with cambered brick heads, and 3 loft openings, originally 2 2-light casements and centre low loft doors. N range has had upper windows lowered in conversion to flat, and has small casement pair at extreme left. Ground floor has 4 windows alternating with larger openings, 2 square, 2 longer. To left, external stone stairs to loft door in narrow W end range. Ledged loft door to right of C20 triple window breaking eaves, over garage opening with C20 doors. S range is little altered. Mews retains original cobbled surfaces, and cobbles on street front outside former coach-entries.

Interior

Shops in front range have pine beam each side. In mews 1 stable retains cast-iron stable fittings, 2 columns to entry and iron railings over plank lower wall. C19 collar-truss roofs to lofts.

Reason for designation

Included as a C19 livery stable remarkably complete and of architectural interest