Description1. Late 19th century red brick warehouses.
Site visited B.A.Malaws, May 1977.
2. 1899 by Edgar Down, now converted to offices, ex Vic Soc tour notes 1994.
3. The warehouses are a row of four three-storey gabled elevations with openings in the gable ends facing the former site of the Glamorganshire Canal (NPRN 34425) to the west. All of the opening have shallowly arched heads without further ornamentation. All of the windows have been replaced with modern glazing. The three northernmost elevations each have three third-storey small vertical rectangular windows and two second-storey windows. The southernmost elevation has two similar third-storey windows, between which was a loading door. This has been converted into a smaller window, the sill being moved upward to the level of the neighbouring windows. The second storey of the southernmost elevation also had larger openings, with a broad window on the left with panelling underneath and paired smaller openings to the right, one with similar panelling underneath, possibly indicating former loading doors. Both of these have been bricked over in order to bring the sills up to the same level. Shallow two-storey buttresses run between each elevation and in the centre of each elevation.
The first storeys of the buildings vary more greatly. The northernmost elevation had one broad window and a smaller window over a door to left of the central buttress and two smaller windows to the right. The door has been bricked up. The next elevation had a loading door to the left of the central buttress which has been converted into a window. To the right of the buttress are two small vertical windows and a door with a smaller window above. The next elevation has paired windows to the left of the central buttress. To the right is a door with a small window above and another window, similar to those on the left. The southernmost elevation has a large loading door to the left of the central buttress and a window and door with a small window above to the right.
At the top of the second storey between the two northern elevations is stone panelling reading `1899 Royal Stuart Warehouses?. At the top of the third storeys of the southern elevations are stone panels reading `Douglas? and `Buildings?. When photographed in 1977, a painted white band between the second and third storeys bore the lettering `E. Hughes & Son Ltd Ship Store Merchants? on the northern two elevations and `S. C. Meades Ltd.? on the southern two elevations. The words `Sail Loft? were painted in large letters between the third storey windows (one letter between each window) of the northern two elevations. The two southern elevation had a white painted section in the corners of the gables where the two elevations met, reading `Ship Stores?. As viewed via Google Streetview, as late as July 2017 the white paint was still visible, although the lettering was largely illegible. There are also signs of later lettering.
The rear of the northern two elevations is similar to the front, and even has similar panelling at the top of the second storey. It was not photographed in 1977. The openings in both elevations are shifted inward, away from the north of the northern elevation and the south of the southern elevation. This is because of panelling on the northern third of the north elevation, and a smaller building to the rear of the southern end of the southern elevation. There are broad third-storey windows in both elevations. The northern elevation has a narrow window on the right and a broad window on the left of the second storey. Those in the southern elevation are reversed, but while the broader windows are similar, the smaller windows vary slightly perhaps indicating alterations from previous openings. The first storey of the northern elevation has a door with a small window above to the right of the central buttress and two windows to the left. The southern elevation has a large loading door to the right of the central buttress and a small window to the left.
Both buildings are currently managed by Cardiff County Council as workshops and business start-up units.
(Sources: NMR Site File, Glam/Ind/ST17SE; Google Streetview; `Workshop and Buisness starter units, Cardiff County Council, www.cardiff.gov.uk)
A.N. Coward, RCAHMW, 07.08.2018