Swyddfa'r Sir
| Swyddfa'r Sir | |
|---|---|
The then entrance to the then Register office, February 2009
|
|
| Former names | Queen's Hotel (1866–1950) |
| Alternative names | County Council Offices (1950–2009) |
| General information | |
| Status | Unoccupied, For Sale |
| Type | Hotel/Offices |
| Architectural style | Hôtel de Ville |
| Address | Marine Terrace, Albert Place, SY23 2DE |
| Town or city | Aberystwyth |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°25′12″N 4°05′04″W / 52.420111°N 4.084532°WCoordinates: 52°25′12″N 4°05′04″W / 52.420111°N 4.084532°W |
| Opened | 1866 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Client | Hafod Hotel Company |
| Owner | Ceredigion County Council |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Dressed local stone Mansard roof made from Welsh slate |
| Floor count | 5 (1xbasement, 1xground floor, 3xupper floors) |
| Floor area | 51,200 square feet (4,760 m2) |
| Grounds | 0.332 acres (0.134 ha) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | C. Forster Hayward |
| Architecture firm | Hayward & Davis |
| Main contractor | George Lumley |
| Awards and prizes | Grade II listed |
| Other information | |
| Parking | Queen's Yard: 0.342 acres (0.138 ha) |
Swyddfa'r Sir is a Grade II listed former hotel, former main offices of Ceredigion County Council and former Magistrates Court building located in Aberystwyth, best known as the outside of the police station in the BBC Wales police television series Y Gwyll (Hinterland).
Originally constructed as a detached hotel on the town's seafront, it was opened in 1866 by the Hafod Hotel Company as the "Queen's Hotel". Designed by C. Forster Hayward of Hayward & Davis in the then popular symmetrical Hôtel de Ville style, it was a smaller-scale version of his earlier 1863 Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth. The five storey premises – basement, ground floor plus three upper floors – created a total floor area of 51,200 square feet (4,760 m2), providing 83 bedrooms. Built by George Lumley of Aberystwyth, the dressed stone exterior was capped by a Mansard roof of locally sourced Welsh slate. Internally, the main entrance in a gothic architecture style led to a staircase, lit from above by a stained glass window in the mezzanine. The entrance area also included access to an early passenger lift, and the ballroom. Many of the main spaces included acanthus plaster ceilings, whilst other public areas were faced with quartz and ore panels. The ground floor toilets presently remain intact, equipped with the original ceramic sinks and brass taps.
Commandeered as the local Royal Air Force base and accommodation unit during World War II, Aberystwyth Council purchased the building post-war, and after conversion under County Architect G. R. Bruce, used the building from 1950 onwards. Due to the space available, during the council's period of occupation the building was additionally used for periods of time as: a dentistry; emergency evacuation hospital; a police station; a register office for weddings; an Aberystwyth University lecture theatre; and the county archives. The local circuit Magistrates Court later moved into the building, using the former ballroom as their main court.
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