Morris & Co., General Cambrain Establishment (former Drapers Shop), Barmouth, Gwynedd

History

A large drapers' shop with contemporary owner's house attached to the rear, built 1882-5; the shop was in use until the early C1970s (information from Mr. Williams, the present owner), and is almost entirely unaltered externally and internally.

Exterior

Shop Exterior: Of snecked dressed stone with rusticated quoins and open pilasters; plain stone detailing. Hipped slate roof with corbelled eaves; 4 large stacks with simple moulded caps. Symmetrical shop front on 3 storeys with 3 windows to upper floors. Tripartiteshop window to ground-floor centre with depressed-arched heads andcanted returns to flanking recessed entrances; glazed double doors andfanlights with enamelled lettering: `Morris and Son.' Flanking theseat the ends further 2-light shop windows as before, with rusticatedpilasters flanking the ground floor. Moulded wooden fascia withbracketed cornice returned around SE side; contemporary enamelledlettering: `General Cambrian Establishment Drapers.' Central 2-lightwindow to first floor with narrow 2-pane sashes; plain entablaturewith moulded segmental pediment. Flanking tripartite windows as beforewith plain triangular pediments. Plain cill-band, returned aroundsides. 2-pane sash to second floor with flanking double sashes. Similar fenestration on E return wall.

To the L of the main facade a further, recessed entrance bay, serving the house. 4-panelled recessed door with glazed upper panels and plain fanlight with lettering: `Glan Glasfor.' Extruded between the entrance bay and the SE return wall of the shop is a fine cast iron glazed open verandah. This is supported on 4 fluted composite columnswith scrolled and pierced decorative brackets; wooden entablaturewith egg-and-dart moulding. Decorative dwarf railings surmount thiswith spear-head finials. Similar railings to the open (SE) side of theverandah with, facing the street, a similar gate and gatepiers and aplain stone corner pier. Geometric tiled floor. Adjoining theshopfront to the R, a pair of Art Nouveau iron gates give access to anarrow alley. Above these spanning the alley is a decorative scrolledarch with large central former gas lamp.

House (Glan Glasfor) exterior: Adjoining to the rear of the shop, where main front. 4 storeys plus attics and with raised ground floor; stepped, parapeted access. Single-storey projecting porch with flat lead roof and moulded cornice. Recessed 6-panel double-doors withfrosted glass fan above with lettering `Glan Glasfor.' 3 storey flanking canted bay windows with a slightly recessed central section; plain Victorian 2-pane sashes; plain cill courses, rusticated quoinsand a bracketed eaves band. Shallow gables to flanking bays withsimply-moulded bargeboards and decorative finial bases (finialsmissing). Arched sash windows within. In the central, recessed bay,between the first and second floors, is a plain plaque inscribed inraised lettering:`Glan Glasfor 1885.' Modern flat-roofed dormers toeach face in roof.

Interior

The shop interior, on 2 floors is almost entirely unaltered and is consequently of outstanding interest. Pine and mahogany joinery throughout; moulded and polychromed plasterwork to all majorrooms together with the original paint finish throughout. This is in2 shades of green with a stencilled dado band. All original fittings,doors and door furniture (with stained and frosted glass) survive.

Original fixed shelving, glazed cupboards and central and perimetercounters to shop hall; suspended brass rails above all counters (forthe display of cloth), the counters with dentilated and scrolledcornices. The shop hall has a central upper gallery supported on castiron columns. This is accessed via a remarkable open corkscrew stairwith swept mahogany rail, turned balusters and boarded underside;embossed and gilded leather to treads and risers with lead treadplates. The upper gallery has similar balustrade and a fitted benchalong part of it. This area was originally the ladies fitting room.Large wall mirror and further fitted drawers and glazed cupboards. Offthis the dress making work room; double part-glazed doors withlettering; arched, moulded entrance with carved head corbels, allpolychromed. Off the ground-floor shop hall, the office. Large wallmirrors, moulded slate fireplace with foliate brackets and original`Star Safe'; by JR Brooks. The desk, leather-bound ledgers, calendersetc. all survive.

The house has geometric tiled floors to both front and rear entrance halls with corbelled cornices and pitch-pine doors. Embossed fictive leather dado. Narrow well stair on 3 floors with pine panelled sides, alternate turned balusters and mahogany rail. In the basement the bell-rack with 22 numbered bells; counterchanged tiled floor. Plain fireplaces and ranges to former kitchen and servants' hall; glazed, built-in cupboards and bracketed shelves.

Reasons for Listing

An exceptionally interesting late Victorian drapers' shop and house ina prominent location in the High Street and with almost completely original exterior and interior detailing.

Group value with other listed items in the High Street.

External Links

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