History
A bakery known as the ‘City Bakery’ had been established in St Davids by David Evans (1833-1920). He had acquired a windmill S of the High Street (now Tŵr y Felin Hotel) in 1861 and, realising there was an opportunity to supply bread and groceries in the town set up a bakery in a small single storey building behind 26 High Street (now operated as Oaks Veterinary Surgery). He later opened a grocery shop (known as the ‘City Bakery’) in the front room of No. 26 (now Susan’s hairdressers).
The bakery business proved successful and Evans was joined by Henry Albert Nash (1884-1953), an apprentice from London who later married Evans’ daughter. On 9 April 1920 Nash purchased a plot of land next to the City Bakery for £205 and designed and built with his brother-in-law Evan Rhys Evans a new 3-storey building
with a bakery and grocery shop on the ground floor and a refreshment room (tea rooms) on the first floor and a separate dwelling on the second floor It opened in 1924.
With increased commercial pressure in the post war years the bakery closed c1960 with the grocery business closing in 1965. The building was then refitted as a restaurant, the ‘Atlantic Grill’, with an archway opening up the old shop and store room behind providing seating for 52 people. A small guest house ‘St Brides House’
was also set-up on the upper floors. The building continued as the Atlantic Grill until 1974 and was sold by the Nash family in the late 1970s. It continued as a café for a short time before being sold on to Care in the Community, a St Davids-based care provider. They operated a canteen on the ground floor and residential accommodation on the upper floors before selling it in 2019 to the current owners.
Exterior
Shop and accommodation in a distinctively eclectic neo-classical style. Stucco and pebble dashed. Timber large-pane sash windows, slate roof and brick end stacks. 3 storey, 3 bay façade with ground floor shop front. Upper floors dominated by deep semi-circular bay windows in the outer bays overhanging a continuous cornice above the shop front. Central bay with segmental arched windows with keystones. Windows with projecting sills with shell style brackets. Each bay is separated by full height pairs of engaged, half round pilasters connecting the ground floor cornice and a deep dentil eaves cornice. Ground floor stucco with plinth and shop front with large display windows either side of recessed glazed double entrance doors. The walls below the windows are clad with brown glazed tiles, the glass pane over-lights with polychrome-patterned glass. Bowed timber sign board (later) in the place of original signage with gilt lettering on a black background full width of shop ‘CITY BAKERY – ESTABLISHED – 1880’. Open doorway with over-light to left giving alleyway access to rear, 3-panel door with stained glass over-light to right (to upper floors) accessed up 3 stone steps. Further 3 storey wing to rear with replacement windows.
Interior
Converted to open plan café space on the ground floor with counter and 6-panel doors (dividing partitions relocated from main rooms on first floor) at rear. 4-panel door to rear right provides access to basement and rear with kitchen and stores in rear wing. Door to right of shop front gives access to upper floors – entrance hall with black and white tiled floor and leaded light inner screen. Wide stair with turned timber balusters and heavy turned and moulded newel posts (repeating but diminishing in size to upper floors). First floor converted to shop but retains front and rear spaces and evidence of sliding partitions. Small room to right side and further work rooms in rear extension. Second floor divided into domestic rooms. Upper floors retain architraves and skirtings.
Reasons for Listing
Included for its special architectural interest as a well preserved inter-war commercial premises, it has a distinctive architectural character with an unusual regional adaptation of styles and motifs reflecting its locally influenced design, remote from more established architectural ideas and practice. It is a prominent building in the townscape of St Davids and it is also of special historic interest as an example of early C20 development of commerce in the rural towns of Wales. Group value with other listed items in the High Street.
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.
Recommended Books
Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair