Red Lion House

Cadw's description

Location

In a prominent position at the SW end of High Street, on the corner with Church Street.

History

Built in the 2nd half of the C19 and shown on the 1889 Ordnance Survey. The R-hand shop front is later, probably mid C20.

Exterior

Two shops and a house in a 3-storey 3-bay range of pebble-dashed front painted cream, smooth-rendered rusticated quoins and plain architraves, slate roof and end stacks. The strongly designed lower storey comprises a central house entrance flanked by shop fronts, the whole framed by fluted pilasters, fascia with end brackets flanking each shop and a moulded cornice. The L-hand shop retains original detail. It has cast-iron grilles to plain stall risers, plate glass windows with slender colonnettes, supporting brackets with sunburst fluting. The recessed entrance has a panelled soffit, a glazed door with lower panel, and overlight. The later R-hand shop front has a splayed window on a mosaic stall riser, and has a recessed glazed door and overlight on the R. The tripartite shop window has wood mullions and transom.

The 1st floor has oriel windows R and L, and narrower central window in an eared architrave. All have T-shaped windows inserted in original openings. In the second floor are similar windows inserted in gabled openings R and L, with moulded brick finials to the gables, and in the centre is a replacement 2-light window with sill band.

In the R gable end the 1st and 2nd floors have, on the L side, replacement windows in original eared architraves. The rear is rubble stone to the basement and lower storey, and comprised of brick and timber-framed partition walls above, where the shadow of the gable of a former building facing Lancaster Square remains visible.

Interior

Not inspected.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a commercial and residential building of definite C19 character, including a well-preserved shop front, and for its contribution to the historical townscape.