Gwynfor

Cadw's description

Location

On the E side of Shore Road at the western end of the Promenade at Llanfairfechan.

History

Constructed c.1926 (information from owner) for a Mr W Williams and designed in 1923 by Rowland John Hughes (1881-1969) architect of Llanfairfechan. Hughes was an occasional assistant to Herbert Luck North from c1911, with interruption for service in WWI. Hughes began his association with North as a newly qualified architect and assisted him with the design of the Church Institute and houses at Glan Mor Elias in Llanfairfechan, whilst establishing his own practice, which he went on to develop after WWI. Gwynfor was restored c.2018.

Exterior

House, white painted roughcast, slate roofs with swept overhanging eaves, clay ridge tiles and brick gable stacks. Sash windows, plain lower sashes with small paned upper sashes. Projecting tile cills and hoods.

Two storey 3-bay plan fronting onto Shore Road. Gabled bay to right set forward with swept eaves carried down on the left forming entrance porch over the central door. Paired windows to first floor outer bays, gabled dormer to left. Central window under low catslide. Canted ground floor paired sash bay windows to outer bays, single window to each side. Part glazed door with overlight. Left hand gable with single window to upper floor, offset to left, two windows to ground floor, offset to right (original plans show a further bay window to the front room on the gable elevation). Right elevation with central stair window and two ground floor windows offset to right. Rear elevation with single storey service wing attached, wide low catslide over 4-window first floor range, two outer windows and two narrow central windows. Ground floor with paired narrow windows to right, central window and rear door. Hipped roof over ‘L’-plan rear service wing, door (inserted) and window in right hand end, 2 windows to rear.

Interior

Plan and fittings remain largely intact. Plan form of central entrance and hall with stair to right, original parlours to front,kitchen at rear left and service rooms to rear right. 4 bedrooms to first floor around central landing, bathroom at rear. Fittings survive including timber stair, doors and doorways, skirting, floor finishes etc.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural interest as a well preserved house of the early C20 that retains its original character with Arts & Crafts influences of the style popularised by Herbert Luck North in North Wales in the early decades of the C20.