Our Favourite Welsh Buildings
As chartered surveyors, we spend much of our time looking after buildings to ensure that they can perform their functional uses of shelter from the elements, warmth and security. But buildings can be so much more than just bricks and mortar. They can evoke strong emotions, provide us with a sense of place and time, and they can be beautiful or inspiring. Truly great buildings don’t have to be large and impressive; quite humble, vernacular buildings can quietly leave a lasting impression too.
This month, we asked our staff about their favourite Welsh buildings and some of their answers were surprisingly revealing. So, here are some of our favourites.
1. The Church of the Holy Cross, Mwnt, Ceredigion
Built around the 13th Century as a medieval sailor’s chapel of ease, the Church of the Holy Cross, Mwnt is a Grade 1 listed building of stunning beauty and simplicity.
Eleanor Richards-Jones says, “When I first came to live in Wales, we used to drive out most weekends exploring. The church at Mwnt had an immediate affect on me. It’s location above the beach is idyllic and the church itself is in total harmony with its landscape and community. It was built to satisfy a practical religious need and centuries later remains as a confident but unpretentious statement. Basically, I love it because it is so Welsh!”
2. Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff
Another religious building but on a much bigger scale, our second choice was definitely built to impress! The current Llandaff Cathedral was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier church. Over the many centuries, the cathedral has been remodelled several times, most recently after the Cardiff Blitz of 1941.
Cardiff Office Manager, Elizabeth Yardley-Richards says, “Llandaff Cathedral is special to me because my grandparents are buried there. But my father also tells the interesting story of how during the war a parachute mine became entangled in the Cathedral Spire and exploded in the churchyard destroying graves and part of the roof!”
The restoration work wasn’t completed until 1960 and in addition to repairs, new features were added including the huge Christ in Majesty sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein. Well worth a visit!
3. Penarth Pier Pavilion
Penarth Pier itself was built in 1894-5 but it wasn’t until the 1920’s that the magnificent Art Deco shore-end pavilion was built.
This is the choice of surveyor Danielle Spiteri who says, “I enjoy visiting the pier as it has great views over the Bristol Channel and I really appreciate the beautifully restored Pavilion building as I love Art Deco style.”
Like so many of our piers and seaside pavilions, Penarth Pier has had a chequered history of fires and boat crashes. It has also had many incarnations over the years including being used as a dance hall, snooker hall, gymnasium and even a multi storey car park. In 2013, the £4.2m restoration of Penarth Pier Pavilion was competed and it is now a wonderful community space hosting cinema screenings, concerts, exhibitions, workshops and tea rooms. It also won the much coveted RICS Project of the Year award!
4. The Senedd, Cardiff Bay
When asked about his favourite buildings, our EPC Assessor Jamie Davies had a particular architect in mind. Richard Rogers designed the Lloyds Building in London and also our own Senedd building in Cardiff Bay.
Jamie says, “What I like about this building is that it was constructed with sustainability being paramount in the design process and construction – as well as looking awesome of course! Local materials were used in its construction, including approximately 1000 tonnes of Welsh slate. The environmental features of the building have also allowed energy savings of between 30-50% compared to buildings without these features.”
5. Teify House, Maerdy
Another choice from Jamie Davies “which is probably very ugly but meaningful to me” is Teify House, Maerdy.
Jamie explains, “The building was named after my Great Grandad, Teify Davies who was Mayor of Maerdy in the 1960’s. It might not be the most aesthetically pleasing but it is very much of its time and part of the history of Maerdy and my family, and I always look at it on the way to work!”
Next time, we broaden our horizons and go global!
