History in Structure

Palace Vaults

A Grade II* Listed Building in Caernarfon, Gwynedd

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.1399 / 53°8'23"N

Longitude: -4.2761 / 4°16'34"W

OS Eastings: 247844

OS Northings: 362723

OS Grid: SH478627

Mapcode National: GBR 5H.6CPZ

Mapcode Global: WH43F.8BZR

Plus Code: 9C5Q4PQF+XG

Entry Name: Palace Vaults

Listing Date: 10 August 1953

Last Amended: 3 May 2002

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 3832

Building Class: Commercial

Also known as: Palace Vaults, Caernarfon

ID on this website: 300003832

Location: Directly opposite Caernarfon Castle and on the corner of the junction of Castle Ditch with Palace Street.

County: Gwynedd

Town: Caernarfon

Community: Caernarfon

Community: Caernarfon

Locality: Walled town

Built-Up Area: Caernarfon

Traditional County: Caernarfonshire

Tagged with: Building Pub

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Caernarfon

History

Built in the third quarter of the C19 and first shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey. The return elevation to Palace Street originally housed separate premises, which was a temperance house in 1883 and a wine and spirit merchant in 1895.

Exterior

Public House in "artisan classical" style. 4-bays, 3-storeys with attic. Symmetrical pedimented front of scribed stucco walls with stressed quoins, a slate roof on dentilled eaves cornice, hipped to the R and with 2 roughcast stacks to the front roof slope. Symmetrical front elevation, with pediment over 2 central bays. The lower storey is divided into 4 bays by regularly placed pairs of Ionic columns and a single column L of centre, all carrying a fascia with dentilled cornice. The lower storey has 16-pane hornless sash windows, except the bay L of centre which has a double panelled door under a plain overlight and a narrow 12-pane hornless sash window to its R. A cast iron crane is attached to the R side of the L-hand bay above cellar trap doors. The middle-storey 12-pane hornless sash windows have architraves with alternate segmental and triangular pediments on moulded consoles. In the upper storey are 9-pane sashes (horned L of centre) in moulded architraves with sill band. Central pediment has a round-headed attic window which has a hood mould on corbels.

The plainer R side elevation, facing Palace Street, is 6 bays with sash windows of 12 & 9 panes (L end and L of centre bays are blind). The lower storey has replaced double doors to the L under an ironwork overlight, with 12-pane horned sash window to its R. Further R the lower storey is divided into 2 double bays by pilasters and a cornice on consoles, representing an earlier subdivision of the building. On the L side are two 12-pane hornless sash windows, while the R side has double fielded-panel doors and paired 12-pane hornless sashes divided by slender mullion (a former shop window).

The L-shaped rear has a shallow outshut in the angle which has margin-lit round-headed windows, and 2-pane sashes to the rear of the Palace Street elevation in what was previously a separate property known as 22 Palace Street. Additions are built against the lower storey.

Interior

Modernised internally.

Reasons for Listing

Listed grade II* as a mid C19 public house retaining exceptional "artisan-classical" character including a fine frontage with original detail including a cast iron crane; with other associated listed items it contributes to the setting of Caernarfon Castle.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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