Wyeside Arts Centre

Cadw's description

Location

On prominent site overlooking River Wye and Wye Bridge.

History

1875, by Haddon Brothers, architects, of Hereford. Opened 30 November 1877, cost £3834. Built as Market Hall, with hall at lower level next to river, shops at street level, and assembly rooms above. Converted for use as arts centre with galleries, cinema and theatre space, opening 5 December 1977.

Exterior

Italianate Gothic style recalling Northern Italian town halls of C13 or C14. Red tiles, grey stone, yellow and blue bricks, bathstone dressings, terracotta. Red-tiled hipped roof with gablets. Surmounted by spirelet with clock (restorations). Eaves have machicolations in stone and yellow moulded brick. Long facade faces Castle Street and has rounded corners at ground floor level, with square corners in yellow brick at first floor level, supported by large stone corbels. Seven arch arcade with pointed arches at varied heights. Except for end doorways, arches have yellow brick hood moulds. First, fourth (centre),and seventh bays are doorways, that to left has arch surround in bathstone (now painted) with crocketed decoration, coat of arms with harp, and date 1877. Central bay leads down to market hall and has above, a painted relief roundel of a bull (symbol of Builth). Smaller eastern doorway. Remaining bays have modern brick infill with round headed windows and doors replacing former shopfronts at ground floor level, and blind in first floor arches, formerly windows to assembly rooms. Three terracotta roundels depicting Beethoven, Shakespeare, and perhaps Byron. To left side (W), on first floor, two large gothic arched windows beneath yellow brick hoodmoulds. Wooden tracery. On ground floor, broad window and 2 blocked doorways in blue brick with stone springers and keystones. To right side (E), on first floor, small round window under hood mould on ground floor, 2 small square-headed doorways. At rear, market hall range at lower level has 3 large round-headed archways with modern yellow and blue brick infill, each arch having a pair of round headed windows with circular window above. Wall above arches is rendered and dates from time of conversion. Above, there is a sloping roof, modern.

Interior

Front centre doorway leads down into market hall, which is heavily built in grey stone with bays for market stalls beneath round-headed arches on the 3 sides away from the river. Wall on N raised during conversion, modern roof. On ground floor (at street level) former shops converted by modern partitioning for use as galleries and restaurant. On first floor former assembly room converted to use as cinema. Retains high barrel-vaulted wooden roof with trusses supported by Italianate Gothic shafts resting on corbels. Trusses tied by thin metal rods.

Reason for designation

Group value with Wye Bridge and Lion Hotel.