Former Police Station, including forecourt wall, gates & railings

Cadw's description

Location

In the centre of Shotton, fronting Salisbury Street, which is to the N of the B5129.

History

Former police station dated 1901, and labelled as such on the Ordnance Survey of 1912. It may be by Samuel Evans, Flintshire County Architect, who built schools with similar detail in the early C20. Although the front appears as a mirrored pair, perhaps to match the surrounding semi-detached houses of similar date, the building was apparently not symmetrical inside: inside the R-hand doorway was a staircase leading to the upper storey accommodation for the Constable. The building ceased to be a police station in the mid-late C20, when it became an office of the probation service.

Exterior

The front appears as a symmetrical mirrored pair of 2-storey 2-window houses. Constructed of red brick under a slate roof with overhanging eaves and tile cresting, with central brick lateral stacks to front and rear roof pitches; brick and sandstone detailing. Doorways to outer sides, each with a boarded door with plain overlight under a flat moulded stone canopy supported on decorative brackets. Inner sides have pairs of windows, tall 18-pane horned sashes with flat arched heads of gauged brickwork and stone sills. Same windows aligned to 1st floor under a pair of hipped half-dormers with finials, which flank the central lateral stack. Sandstone sill band over a dentilled brick course. Between the pairs of upper storey windows is an oversized sandstone tablet bearing a decorated shield in relief, reading 'AD 1901'. To the ground floor, beneath the sill band, is a wide rectangular panel with eared sandstone surround; it is rendered inside, but perhaps referred to the police station originally.

The E and W gable ends are abutted by semi-detached houses of similar date. Rear, partly visible, has 2 x 4-pane sashes under segmental brick heads to upper storey, flanking lateral stack. Some brick lean-tos to lower storey.

In front of the building is a paved area bounded by a forecourt wall and railings: low red brick wall with sandstone saddleback coping surmounted by plain iron railings. To each end is a gateway bounded by square-section stone piers with carved tops. Plain iron gates, the outer posts with decorative scrolled tops.

Interior

Main entrance to L door, interior now modernised and converted to offices.

Reason for designation

Listed as a little-altered early C20 civic building retaining definite architectural character and good detail.