19 The Royal George

History

The Royal George Hotel is said to have been established in 1891,¹ however Glamorganshire Archives record ‘additions’ to the premises as early as 1886.

The earliest OS maps clearly show that neighbouring development had not reached the major junction of City Road/Richmond Road/Albany Road by 1879 and therefore a 7-year window for construction may be surmised; between 1879-1886.

¹ See Brian Lee’s The illustrated history of Cardiff’s pubs, p.110.

Description

The Royal George occupies a highly prominent, tapering plot on the confluence of Crwys Road and Mackintosh Place, located to the north of a busy junction where three other roads also converge (Richmond Road, Albany Road and City Road). The distinct V-shaped planform of this substantial building is defined by the road arrangement and it makes optimum use of the site.

The premises is defined by two long, three-storey ranges which face Crwys Road and Mackintosh Place respectively and converge on the junction to the south, where a portion of the building drops to two storeys only. There is a yard to the north, accessed by a wagon entrance set within a small, two storey portion of the building, which terminates the terrace on Mackintosh Place. The building comprises principally of snecked pennant stone. Red brick is utilised to form string-courses and window dressing. Small amounts of stone are also employed; reserved for quoins, corbels, window mullions, cills and lintels. The roofs of the main building are hipped and covered in slate, with convex moulding to eaves soffits. Ground floor elevations have been painted blue.

The two-storey southern front features rather diminutive modern double-doors, set within a grand, bracketed timber porch, with stop-moulded chamfers and a plain tile roof. This, in turn, is flanked by large stone (or render?) pilasters with foliate capitals. There is a faceted oriel timber window above, filled with 4 no. timber sashes. Timber brackets support the projecting roof slope, which runs into the hipped roof form above (topped by an ornate metal finial).

The long, western elevation (which fronts onto Crwys Road) is principally of three storeys, arranged over six irregular bays. Bays 1-3 have paired timber sash windows at ground floor level, with moulded brick reveals. Central stone mullions support segmental stone lintels and cornice moulding (which break through the moulded string course). There is an additional timber door to Bay 3, with similar surround. At first floor, bays 1 & 2 have timber oriel sash windows, whereas Bay 3 is a flush pair, all set beneath a moulded string course. At second floor, there are dormer windows which break through the eaves the roof. Bays 4 and five step down with the slope of the land. At ground floor there is a former doorway (now window) paired with sash window adjacent, both with two-centred Gothick arch stone heads with plain recessed spandrels. They are unified by a corbelled porch hood which directly abuts a corbelled chimney stack breakfront (now demolished at roof level). There is a small, later window opening at first floor (now closed-off) inserted adjacent to an original window (see historic photo).  Bay 5 is of two storeys only. Large ground floor windows (also with central stone mullion and Gothick heads) are paired beneath another corbelled porch hood.

The long, eastern elevation (which fronts onto Mackintosh Place) is principally of three storeys, arranged over seven irregular bays. Bay 1 is of two storeys only. Large ground floor window with chamfered timber (?) mullions and transoms incorporating a former doorway to the RHS, the whole being set beneath a corbelled porch hood. To the LHS, the foliate capital pilaster returns from the front. Windowless elevation above. Bays 2-4 are unified at ground level by a pilaster portico in render (?) which incorporates doorway and windows adjacent. Pilasters are fluted, with curtailed raised-and-fielded panels next to the door. Lettering to tympanum and frieze reads ‘The Royal George Hotel’. There is a mix of timber sash windows to first and second floors. Bays 5 & 6 are unified at ground floor by two tripartite windows with central doorway (now partially stopped-up with large casement window) all covered in a long hood moulding with corbelled and keystone pediment over the former door. Fixed tripartite casement windows to the LHS have a plain flat arch and tripartite sashes to the RHS are separated by stone mullions and feature segmental heads with keystones. There are paired timber sash windows to first floor and single timber sash windows to the second floor. Bay 7 features a single, modern fire exit door at ground floor level with segmental stone head (and keystone) and hood moulding over. There are single timber sashes at first and second floor.

To the northern end of the eastern range is a diminutive, two-storey coach house which also terminates the terrace to Mackintosh Place. To ground floor, the original opening for the coach doors is still in situ, covered by a four-centred arch and hood moulding which unifies it with the sash window adjacent. The arched opening is poorly infilled, with diminutive modern double doors. Above, there is a loft door over, with framed-ledged-and-braced timber door. To the left is another timber sash window.

Reason

A prominent and very sizeable public house of good architectural quality which makes maximises use of a tapering site.

Aesthetic and Historical Value.

Some 140 years serving the community imparts considerable Communal Value.

References

Glamorgan Archives

 BC/S/1/5590

Additions to Hotel, Royal George Hotel, Crwys Road

1886 – Architect: C Rigg – Developer: S N Burns

2 plans inc. elevations

 BC/S/1/8025

Alterations to Hotel, Royal George Hotel, Crwys Road

1891 – Architect: C Rigg – Developer: S Loveless

1 plan, no elevations

 BC/S/1/37765

Sign, Royal George Hotel, Crwys Road

1948 – Architect: G R H Rogers – Developer: W Hancock & Co Ltd

1 plan, no elevations

BC/S/1/38082

Improved toilets, Royal George Hotel, Mackintosh Place

1949 – Architect: G R H Rogers – Developer: W Hancock & Co Ltd

1 plan, no elevations

DCONC/6/126

Royal George Hotel

1938 – Possible Plans

DSA/12/4148

The Royal George Hotel

1924. Auction. Including schedules and inventories.

DSA/8/29 f.22

Stephenson & Alexander, Auctioneers and Chartered Surveyors, Records – c1710-c2012 8 – The firm’s sale books – 1878-1988. Volume 29. 5 Feb 1924-17 Dec 1925. 201 folios. 1 volume.

Additional images

Posted on February 6, 2024.