Latitude: 52.8585 / 52°51'30"N
Longitude: -4.1088 / 4°6'31"W
OS Eastings: 258119
OS Northings: 331080
OS Grid: SH581310
Mapcode National: GBR 5Q.RY4Z
Mapcode Global: WH55Z.VDMZ
Plus Code: 9C4QVV5R+9F
Entry Name: The Plas
Listing Date: 21 June 2001
Last Amended: 21 June 2001
Grade: II
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 25502
Building Class: Commercial
Also known as: Y Plas
ID on this website: 300025502
Location: On the street line, at the SW end of the main street.
County: Gwynedd
Community: Harlech
Community: Harlech
Built-Up Area: Harlech
Traditional County: Merionethshire
Tagged with: Architectural structure
Built as the Blue Lion Inn c1830 by Sir Robert Williams Vaughan, Bart. as a speculative developement designed to serve the growing tourist trade. The inn was built on the site of Plas-yn-Harlech, a sub-medieval town house of the Nanney familiy (of Nannau near Dolgellau); the name was taken from the crest of the family, whose head, at that time, was Sir Robert. Morgan Davies and Daniel Parry are recorded as the first landlords.
Three-storey late Georgian former inn. Of local rubble construction with whitened facade; hipped slate roof with tiled ridges and ashlar end chimneys with plain bands and capping. Three-bay facade, the right-hand bay double-spaced from the other 2 bays, and giving consequent asymmetry. Off-centre entrance with recessed second-half C20 multi-pane glazed door below a contemporary semi-circular leaded wooden porch canopy. The flanking C20 ground floor windows are in the form of semi-circular bows with similar flat leaded roofs and multi-pane glazing. Original unhorned sash windows to the upper floors, 16-pane to the first and 12-pane to the secnd; these are recessed and have projecting slate sills. C20 sign with scrolled iron bracket to the centre first floor.
The rear facade faces a revetted terrace. Its ground floor has a continuous, later C19 glazed verandah, with sash windows within flanking a central entrance with small-pane French doors; marginal glazing. The upper floors have sashes as before with C20 slatted wooden external shutters; further original sashes to the SW side elevation.
Full-width room to the rear, opening onto the verandah. Simple C19 plaster cornicing with panelled window and entrance reveals and moulded architraves. The staircase, formerly ascending to the L at the end of the entrance hall, has been removed.
Listed as a second-quarter C19 former inn retaining good original external character, and for its importance to the history of Tourism in Harlech in the C19.
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