Mansion House, Cardiff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mansion House | |
|---|---|
Y Plasty | |
 | |
 Mansion House in 2008 | |
 Interactive map of the Mansion House area | |
| Former names | The Grove |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Baroque style |
| Location | Richmond Road, Roath CF24 3UN, Cardiff, Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°29′10″N 3°10′14″W / 51.4862°N 3.1706°W |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Habershon and Fawckner |
| Website | |
| mansionhousecardiff | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | The Mansion House[1] |
| Designated | 24 May 2002[1] |
| Reference no. | 26661[1] |
The Mansion House (Welsh: Y Plasty), located on Richmond Road in Cardiff, was the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Cardiff until 1995. It was listed Grade II by Cadw in May 2002.[1]
The house was commissioned by James Howell, the owner of Howells department store, who opened his first shop in 1865. He selected a site on Richmond Road which he leased from Lord Tredegar in 1890. The house was designed by the architects Habershon & Fawckner in the Neo-Baroque style, built in rubble masonry and was completed in 1896. It was originally called 'The Grove'.[2]
The house was designed as a large family home, to house his 11 children. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of four bays facing onto Richmond Road. An unusual aspect of the house was that it was designed to be able to be divided into two: it featured two round-headed front doors, with a balcony above, and a wall in the cellar which was designed to allow extension upwards. The outer bays have bay windows on both floors. At roof level, there was a modillioned cornice and there were three dormer windows.[1]
Residents at the house in the early 20th century included Mabel Howell (a daughter of James Howell), who was secretary of the Cardiff and District Women's Suffrage Society.[3][4]
In 1913, the leasehold of the house was bought by the Cardiff Corporation, for use as the home of the lord mayors.[2] Internally, it featured two apartments on the first floor and these were also used by judges sitting in the city.[5] The Prince of Wales met civic leaders at the mansion house during a visit to Cardiff in May 1930.[6] In 1956, the freehold of the property was bought by the Cardiff Corporation's under the advice of their Civic Buildings Committee for £3000 from the Tredegar Estate, most of which was being disposed of at this time in lieu of death-duties.[7] The house continued to be used by successive lord mayors until 1995.[8]
The building had a major overhaul in time for the Cardiff European Council summit held on 15 and 16 June 1998.[9][8][10] It was then used by Cardiff Council for events, functions, civil ceremonies and weddings. It also became the base for the council's protocol team.[8]
The actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and her husband, Michael Douglas, visited the mansion house, in July 2010, for the launch of the Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales appeal of which she is a patron.[11] Scenes from the BBC television series, Doctor Who, starring Ncuti Gatwa, were shot at the mansion house in October 2023.[12]
The council ceased to use the mansion for civic purposes in the 2020s, and put it up for sale in June 2025.[13][14]