History

Built in 1907-10 at a cost of £182,000 as a sewerage pumping station to service the western district of Cardiff. Designed by the Cardiff City Engineer W Harpur with a foundation stone laid 29 April 1907 by Alderman Mildon, chairman of the Cardiff Corporation public works committee in a ceremony attended by contractors, Lord Mayor W S Crossman and corporation officials.

It was constructed with engine room, boiler house, workshops, offices and stores and originally had a 125ft brick circular chimney stack. The pumping was carried out by 4 sets of Summers and Scott’s 3-crank compound direct acting steam engines, each capable of lifting 150,000 gallons per hour; 2 sets designed to cope with a normal flow of 50,000 gallons per hour and the other 2 sets assisted by vertical gas engines to cope with additional storm water. 4 Babcock and Wilcox water tube boilers provided the steam for the engines.

Converted for use as antiques warehouse, circa 1990.

Exterior

Yellow brick with red brick dressings, banding and eaves cornice; stone kneelers and copings, slate roofs with glazed ridge ventilators, small pane metal glazing. Facing Penarth Road, main block has six round-headed windows with red brick arches. Thin pilasters flank the 3 right-hand window bays and are carried up above the eaves as chimneys. To R, lower block with gabled end. Below main block, modern extensions imitating its style and materials.

Left end wall has 1 large and 2 smaller round-headed windows. Above the large window is a lunette window with a pediment above this (with oculus), flanked by chimneys. Similar treatment to R end, but 2 windows with lunettes above doorway (L), and 2 windows (R). To rear, pair of attached blocks at right angle, in similar style, 5 blocked windows to NE; gables facing SE each have group of 4 windows at upper level. To SW, attached lower parallel range with 3 arched windows and red brick chimney, and lower block with 3 camber-headed windows.

1907 date stone on W corner of S elevation, inaccessible at inspection.

Interior

Main block has steel roof trusses, glazed brick dado, terrazzo floors; travelling crane. Rear blocks have steel roof trusses.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as well-preserved industrial building with striking use of building materials.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29491715

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

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  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
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  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
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  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas