Listed Building Request To Save Iconic Art Deco House In Rhos-on-Sea

An attempt to preserve a historic art deco house in Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales from being demolished to make way for a controversial housing project has been rejected by the Welsh heritage board.

Despite a petition and calls from Baroness Joan Blackwell and writer and presenter Griff Rhys-Jones OBE to save 57 Marine Drive and its history, Cadw, the Welsh board in charge of historic buildings and structures, have rejected a request to have the property listed.

One of the biggest reasons for this rejection, a blow to plans for listed building restoration of the property, is that whilst it was believed that the much-loved property was constructed by famous architect Sidney Colwyn Foulkes, Cadw claims there is no evidence he designed 57 Marine Drive.

Mr Foulkes, primarily known for public housing developments, cinemas and the famous chapel of Rhos-on-Sea after the Second World War, had designed some private housing projects such as Wren’s Nest in Colwyn Bay, was believed to have been the designer behind the distinctive property.

However, Cadw instead believes that William Evans, a local contractor who bought the plot of land in 1935 and then sold the house to a Mrs Royle, a widow who originally lived in Irlam, Salford, Greater Manchester.

This makes the contribution to architectural history more locally significant than national, according to Cadw.

As well as this, the assessment found that the substantial changes to the buildings detracted from its art-deco character. This includes the division of the building into two separate flats in the 1960s, the replacement of the doors and windows with standard uPVC and the creation of a porch in 1994.

According to Cadw, the only original details left are the internal doors, the timber stairs and hallway tiling, as well as a damaged original bathroom.

This story highlights the difficulties in acquiring listed building status and the effects restorations that do not have the original character of the building at the forefront can have on a structure.