11 Guildhall Square

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at corner of Blue Street.

History

Corner house of c1800, marked on Wood''s map of 1834, apparently built with No 12. A noted coffee shop and grocery from 1850, established by a Mr Wonnacott with prominent large timber coffee jug, still surviving. Later kept by Miss Puddicombe and by her nephew J.O. Morgans, mayor 1935-7. There is a design for a shopfront of 1920 by J.H. Morgan for J.O. Morgans, grocer, but present shop windows are later C20 alterations to bowed late Georgian originals, of which part of casing survives. Said to have been public house with No 12 in later C20, premises of Nationwide Building Society 2002, interior all altered.
The coffee pot sign is celebrated in a poem by Alex Aitken of Carmarthen, published 1856: `When first I was set up on high/ Some viewed me with a jealous eye/ with thoughts that I, an empty pot/ Would custom draw to Wonnacott''. A large chimney between Nos 11 and 12 has gone.

Exterior

House now commercial premises, red brick Flemish bond with close-eaved slate roof, C20 gutter boards at eaves. Three storeys and cellar, 2 bays to the square, 3 to Blue Street and chamfered angle between. Hornless 16-pane sashes to upper floors with brick voussoirs and painted stone sills. Front left has lead rainwater head with Prince of Wales feathers, and downpipe with crossed acorns to brackets. Altered former double bow-fronted shop-front. Bowed windows of 20-panes each flanking a C20 glazed door, in common casing of pilasters and cornice. The cornice is original, but the windows have been shortened by one-pane depth to give a larger fascia. Rubble stone plinth with voussoirs of blocked cellar windows.
Chamfered angle has large C19 painted metal coffee pot attached to first floor.
Blue Street elevation has 16-pane sashes to upper floors and ground floor right. Ground floor left has renewed 28-pane bow-fronted shop window. Rubble stone plinth with segmental-headed cellar openings. Canted angle to right, at SW, has similar 16-pane sash on both upper floors and 4 steps up to pedimented doorcase with C20 door. Open pediment on console brackets may be original.

Interior

C20 ground floor premises, said to be altered throughout.

Reason for designation

Included as one of a small group of notable late Georgian brick-fronted premises in this part of Carmarthen, and for the rare surviving large metal coffee-house sign.