The Probate Office

Cadw's description

Location

Situated roughly midway along street set back from adjoining houses.

History

Probate Office, dated 1879, by G. A. Hutchings, Carmarthen Town Surveyor, D. M. Williams contractor. WD Jenkins designed alterations in 1905.

Exterior

Probate Office, rubble stone with Bath stone dressings and slate roof with coped gables, and chimney to left. Close eaves. Brown rubble stone in irregular courses with Bath stone quoins, flush rusticated window surrounds and first floor relieving arches. Moulded string over ground floor ashlar broad band carried down to just below window and door heads, with lower string course stepped over heads as hoodmoulds. Triple plate glass sashes with stone mullions to ground and first floor left and centre bays, door in chamfered surround to ground floor right, the hoodmould stepped up over VR 1879 plaque, and 2-light window to first floor above. First floor windows have ashlar relieving arches. Second floor has paired smaller sashes with shouldered heads and mullions.
Double panelled doors and rectangular overlight. Ventilation grates in plinth and at ground floor sill level.
Left hand return is cement rendered.
Rubble stone rear of 3 storeys with close eaves, all but one modern windows, 4-panel door to left. Two-storey wing to right with some original doors and windows and 3 small brick lean-to additions, previously toilets and storerooms.

Interior

Tall inner door is half-glazed with side-lights, top-lights and marginal glazing bars. Depressed arch to hallway with impost blocks and scrolled leaf capitals. Moulded plaster ceiling margins and cornice. Stairs with scrolled tread ends, straight balusters and simple newels. False ceilings conceal original ceilings with plaster cornices. Moulded skirting boards throughout. Fireplaces removed. Some doorways and windows have chamfered and stopped surrounds, and on 2nd floor some of doors have simply decorated uprights above. In rear wing, wills room on ground floor has 5 brick-arched bays and flagstone floor.

Reason for designation

Included as a Victorian public building of character, minimally Gothic, important in townscape.