History

Three terraced houses now hotel, c1875, the first three of a terrace of 6. The South Cliff estate was laid out for building on a grid pattern in 1864 by J H Shipway, engineer, on former Tuder estate land, sold to Dr J M Sutton of Bloomfield, Narberth. Shipway's elevations were not used, the architect may have been F Wehnert, who did similar schemes for Milford Haven and Llandudno. The Esplanade was the principal seafront terrace, built up by 1880, but little seems to have been built before 1870. Six plots were marked on the site of these 6 houses on 1864 plan, the houses as built are to a different design than the first 5 on the Esplanade, but to the same design as the third terrace. The houses were built as 3 mirrored pairs.
These houses were numbered 1-3 The Esplanade. In 1926 No 2 was occupied by James Sword, No 3 by Arthur Lawrence. In 1961 the Clarence Hotel occupied only 2 houses, the third was still No 3. Rear addition 1963.

Exterior

Hotel, formerly three houses, each stucco with imitation slate roofs, basement and four storeys and attic, two-window range, one side with a full-height stucco canted bay, the other with single windows over door. The first two houses are a mirrored pair with canted bays to the outside, the third is slightly stepped up and has the bay to the right, being a mirrored pair with the next house, now part of Atlantic Hotel.
Windows are mostly 4-pane sashes, but 2-pane narrower sashes to sides of canted bays. C20 dormers. Parapet with inset mouldings with rebated angles in sunk panels. Cambered headed windows in moulded surrounds to upper two floors (surrounds to middle canted bay are square headed rather than cambered), arched French windows opening onto a continuous iron balcony on the first floor, with moulded arched heads, plain fanlights and pilaster sides (outer right canted bay has moulded square head over front arched window). Ground floor has channelled rustication and plain square heads to windows and door. First floor balcony is on iron brackets and has attractive slightly Gothic iron railings, akin to earlier C19 designs. Four-panel doors with overlights originally, but altered. Basement sash windows. Fleur-de-lys heads to iron area railings.
Side elevation to Sutton Street has stuccoed chimney, and 3-window range of plate glass sashes, 4 storeys, paired sashes in centre. Added or rebuilt 3 storey, 4-window rear wing.

Interior

Glazed screen with some coloured and etched glass, and side and top lights in lobby of No 1, screen removed in No 2. No 3 has main room with modillion brackets to cornice and painted slate fireplace with big arch, keystone and shelf. Similar cornice and fireplace to No 2, acanthus rose to ceiling. Staircase removed in No 2 for lift. No 1 has similar cornice in lobby and stair hall, stair with thin turned balusters and bulbous newel and corner room has acanthus motif scrolled ceiling border over coved cornice. C20 arch through to simpler room to rear.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a major part of one of the main terraces on The Esplanade.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29485418

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)