Application for Awarding Listed Status to the Old College Buildings Splott

8/9/2019 Application for Awarding Listed Status to the Old College Buildings Splott

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Application for awarding Listed Status

to the Old College Buildings, Courtenay

Road, Splott, Cardiff

Photo copyright: Huw Thomas, 2015



Background

The Old College Building, Splott (formerly, St Illtyd’s Catholic Grammar School for Boys, and prior to

that, Splott University Settlement) was recently purchased by a property developer, John Smart. A

planning application was submitted to Cardiff Council in December, proposing the demolition of the

building in order to build 3 modern blocks of flats.1 These proposals have united the local community

in opposition to the loss of this popular landmark building. This document sets out the community’s

argument for why the Old College Building deserves to be protected and preserved. We request that

Cadw give urgent consideration to Spot Listing this unique building.

Building Overview and Setting

The Old College Building is located in the heart of Splott, a residential area of Cardiff that was rapidly

developed during the late 19th century to provide housing for workers at Cardiff docks, and thenearby steelworks.

Image 1: Location of the Old College Building (within red outline) in Splott

The building falls into 3 different parts; the section accessed via a pedestrian walkway from

University Place, consisting of the oldest part of the building, opened in 1906; the section fronting on

to Courtenay Road, constructed in the 1930s; and the section adjoining the two ends of the building,

which was damaged by bombing during World War 2, and re-opened in 1944.

1 Details of the Planning Application may be found here http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-

applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_110670



Image 3: Plans for the expansion of the University Settlement, constructing part of the structure that

still stands today.

Photo copyright: Glamorgan Archives, 2015



Image 4: Extract of designs for the expansion building, which still stand today.

Both of these buildings were designed by renowned Arts and Crafts architect Robert Weir Schultz,

best known for his collaborations with the Marquesses of Bute. Schultz undertook a number of

major projects for the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Bute, many of which are now listed buildings. These




include major renovation works at Mount Stuart, Dumfries House and Falkland Palace. Other

examples of his work include St Andrew’s Chapel at Westminster Cathedral, and the Anglican

Cathedral of Khartoum, Sudan. However, this is the only known example of his work in Wales,

therefore giving the building national significance.

Although funds for construction came from other Cardiff patrons such as Lord Tredegar,

architectural historian Gavin Stamp, in his book on Schultz, argues “it seems highly unlikely that any

charitable project in Cardiff should not enjoy the patronage of Lord Bute and his recommendation

can be the only explanation for Schultz being employed in a city where he had done no other work.”5

Economy was clearly a key consideration, with Schultz himself describing the design as follows: “I

thought that the cheapest form of construction would be by forming the roof and posts out of

ordinary deals bolted together. I worked out my ideas and found them possible of realisation at a

minimum of cost.”6 Red Bridgewater bricks and Bridgewater pan-tiles on the roof were the other

materials used which, whilst basic and economical “justified Schultz’s belief that good architecture

comes from using sound materials with care and thought.”7 Images 5 and 6 show here how Schultz’s

Clubhouse has survived into the 21st

century.

Image 5: Men’s entrance to the Clubhouse, viewed from University Place

5 Stamp, Gavin; Robert Weir Schultz: Architect, and his work for the Marquesses of Bute. Mount

Stuart: 1981

6 ibid

7 ibid

Photo copyright: Christopher Hogg, 2015



Image 6: The Eastern aspect of the building, showing the Boys and Girls exit on to the playing area.

Further construction work took place in 1929, with the space between the Hall and the Club house

being filled in to provide classrooms for the Catholic School which now occupied the site. The plans

of this extension may be seen in Image 7 below. This is the section most damaged by the air raid,

though some features have survived.




Image 7: Plans of the 1929 expansion, showing the interaction with the existing structures.

The final extension to the building commenced in 1936, when the building’s impressive façade was

constructed on the site of the original hall to designs by St Helens architect, William Ellis. It is not

clear from plans whether the interior of the original hall was retained within the new structure;

testimony from Paul Flynn MP, a former pupil , confirms that a hall space continued to exist within

the extension, and was well known as an impressive venue, so much so that the BBC broadcast

concerts from the hall.

The façade itself has a number of decorative features, which are described beautifully in the

following extract from The Illtydian school magazine, published in 1964 shortly before the school left

for new premises.

“The best - the outstanding - approach is by way of Farmville Road, from which, topping a

slight but commanding rise, Ellis's monumental facade appears to the greatest advantage.Were I planning the last day in the present buildings....I would be tempted to march the

school up this road as a grand gesture of farewell.

Above them the boys would see St.Patrick and St. De La salle; still higher the star, signum

fidei; and the cross, fidei coticula; and surrounding these the old motto of the crusading

Stradlings of St. Donat's Duw a digon. If this is to be St. Illtyd's memorial ...for the last forty

years, who would require more?"

The author’s faith that the building would remain as a fitting and worthy memorial to the deeds

undertaken within it seems all the more powerful and poignant today, under the threat of

demolition.




Image 8: Details of the statue of a saint on the façade

Image 9: Details of the Cross and Moto at the top of the façade.

Photo copyright: Huw Thomas, 2015




Historical Significance

The historical importance of the Old College Building pertains to both its time as an University

Settlement, and as a Catholic Grammar school, and cannot be understated.

The University Settlement movement traces its origins to a growing feeling of social concern that

took root within University bodies during the 19th

century, driven by a growing separation between

the classes, and the deprivation of the poor. Responses to this situation saw university men joining

the church, specifically to minister to the poor in so called ‘slum parishes’, and also an increased

focus on delivering education to working men. The University Settlement movement however was a

new approach, as B.M. Bull explains “the purpose of settlements was to provide organised centres in

poor neighbourhoods, where for the first time working as a group, rather than singly, university men

could live amongst the poor, learn about them and offer them help and friendship.”

The first settlement, which survives to today, was Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel, London, opened in1884, and the movement soon spread to other cities. At Cardiff University, two academics were

instrumental in establishing the settlement in Splott; Professor JS Mackenzie, a professor of logic and

philosophy who argued that the “isolation of the classes is an evil for all”, and Professor Ronald

Burrows who had been interested in Christian Socialist ideas of co-operation since his time as a

student at Oxford. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of their students, they sought further support

from other University staff, and the citizens of Cardiff. In 1901, a Committee of the University

Council was established, with the aim of setting up a settlement in a poor district of the City.

Following advice from the Chief Constable of Cardiff, the newly industrialised area of Splott was

chosen, and in Autumn 1901, outreach work began out of two converted houses on Portmanmoor

Road.

The success of the settlement in its first few years convinced the Welsh University Association of the

need to expand. A company limited by guarantee was formed, adopting the name of the University

Settlement in Cardiff in January 1904. The aims of the Settlement were captured in a Memorandum

of Association, modelled almost exactly on that of the ‘Mother Settlement’, Toynbee Hall. The aims

as stated were:

“To promote the education and instruction of and the means of recreation for, and to

inquire into the condition of the people of the poor districts of Cardiff and adjacent places;

to promote on the footing of social intercourse, the acquaintance of the people with thepast and present members of the Welsh and other Universities and other persons friendly to

the objects of the Association; to provide for the residence in such districts of persons

engaged in or connected with philanthropic or educational work; and to consider and

advance plans calculated to promote the general welfare of the people of the poorer

districts of Cardiff and adjacent places.”8

These noble and high-minded principles manifested themselves in the variety of facilities and

activities available at the site on Courtenay Road ( then known as Walker Road). These included

educational classes for boys and girls, evening classes and a debating society for men and women, a

8 As quoted in Bull, B.M. ibid



library, a gymnasium, dance classes, a billiard room, the production of plays, regular free concerts,

and excursions to the countryside, providing the residents of the area (numbering 500-600 people)

with a range of experiences which would otherwise have been totally beyond their means. A number

of prominent figures visited the Settlement, both to deliver a public address, and to see first hand

the work being achieved. These included the then Principal of Birmingham University, Sir Oliver

Lodge, the Warden of the Manchester University Settlement, and perhaps most significantly, Sydney

Webb, founder of the London School of Economics, and his wife Beatrice who had together helped

found the Fabian Society, and crafted the objectives of the Labour Party, who delivered a talk in

Splott on the findings of the Poor Law Commission.

The fortunes of the Settlement would wax and wane until the Great War commenced, when most

members of both the Men’s and Lads clubs dispersed to the frontlines. The building was

requisitioned for billeting wounded soldiers in 1915, and following the end of the conflict, restarting

the Settlement proved too difficult, with local historian noting that “members were dispersed, and

the sense of urgency gone.” 9

Despite its relatively short existence, the Cardiff University Settlement marks an important chapter

in the development of social welfare, forming a pioneering example of the kind of outreach work

that continues to be practiced today through the Adult Education movement, and Local Authority

Youth Services. As the only example of its kind in Wales, the site in Splott is nationally significant,

exemplifying a social trend at the turn of the last century where the country’s educated elite took

positive and deliberate action to relieve the burden of the poor in the inner cities.

The historical significance of the Old College Building does not end with the closing of the Settlement

however. The site was purchased in 1923 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff, and in 1924

became the first Catholic Boys Grammar School in Wales, operated by the De La Salle Brothers.

Drawing largely from the large Irish-immigrant population that had settled around Cardiff docks, the

school provide education to the community on the site until the 1960s, when, having expanded

beyond the capacity of the site, it relocated to Llanrumney. Amongst the many distinguished alumni

who attended the school during its time in Splott were poets Danny Abse and John James,

playwright and theatre director Peter Gill, and politician Paul Flynn. The school continues to be

indelibly linked to the area, with the Old Illtydians Social Club based on Splott Road, and the Old

Illtydian Rugby Club now based at the Old Library on Singleton Road, and playing on Moorland Park,

a scant 200 metres from the Old College Buildings. The destruction of the building would therefore

represent a severing of a historical link which is still cherished by the local community today.

Following St Illtyd’s move to Llanrumney, the Old College building was used for a variety of

commercial purposes, though it has been largely empty for the past decade. It was most recently

used as a location by the BBC for the filming of Dr Who. Interior and exterior shots of the building

can be seen in the episode ‘The Caretaker’, giving the building a renewed significance in the 21st

century.

9 Childs, Jeff; Roath, Splott and Adamsdown: One Thousand Years of History. The History Press,

Stroud: 2012



The Building in its local context

The Old College building forms an important element of one of the most historically well-preserved

areas of Splott. Dic Mortimer, in his biography of Cardiff notes that “at the turn of the century,

slightly larger houses, for the many white-collar clerks and managers at the steelworks and other

manufacturers extended Moorland Road southwards and filled the last few areas of Lower Splott

Farm.” These houses were sited on what would become known as Courtenay Road, University Place,

and Farmville Road, and are directly adjacent to the Old College building (see Image 10 below).

Image 10: Western aspect of the Old College Building, showing its relationship to nearby properties

on Courtenay Road, and taken from outside Lower Splott Farm (now the Old Vicarage, Splott).

Lower Splott Farm itself, which alter became the Vicarage for St Saviours Church on Splott Road, is

almost exactly opposite the Old College building, and is itself a Grade II listed building (1992). This

was due to it being “a stylistically distinctive building for this area of largely late C19 buildings and

for its importance to the history of Splott with its origins in pre- industrial Cardiff.”10

The Old College

building opposite meets the same criteria for listing, in terms of its distinctiveness within the local

area, and also for the significance of its history, both within a local and national context. Moreover,

10

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/files/DF5C7180220C945E4F69767E96370999/pdf/12_02170_DCI-HERITAGE_ASSESSMENT-

1048095.pdf




the demolition of the Old College building would have an adverse impact on the historical

surroundings of Lower Splott Farm.

As mentioned previously, the Old Library Building, Splott, is also closely located to the Old College.

The Old Library was the first branch library opened in Cardiff, in the 1890s, and represents another

aspect of the social work undertaken during this period to raise the conditions of the workers. The

Old College building, together with the recently refurbished Old Library, Lower Splott Farm, and the

two former pubs on Moorland Road (both now converted into flats) are the only distinct buildings in

an area otherwise only noted for its row upon row of terraced housing. The demolition of the Old

College would therefore be an unacceptable loss of one of they key buildings which helped shape

the local area.

Expressions of support

Since the threat to demolish the Old College building has become widely known, there has been anoutpouring of support for the preservation of the building. This has come from a huge variety of

sources, and a selection of these comments is listed here:

Professor Gavin Stamp, FSA, Hon FRIAS, Hon FRIBA, architectural historian and author of Robert

Weir Schultz and his Work for the Marquesses of Bute. “Having thought that Schultz's remarkable

hall for the Cardiff University Settlement had disappeared, it is thrilling to discover that his

associated club house survives. It is therefore important and precious as a work by the architect

Robert Weir Schultz, who is increasingly emerging as a major figure both in the Arts & Crafts

Movement and in Byzantine studies. And Schultz's most interesting commissions were carried out

for those remarkable and discriminating patrons of the arts, the Third and Fourth Marquesses of

Bute, who, of course, did so much for Cardiff. Schultz's club house (his only work in Wales) must belisted, and preserved.”

Peter Howell, formerly Chairman of the Victorian Society, co-author of the Companion Guides to

Wales. “Robert Weir Schultz was a most accomplished architect of the Arts and Crafts school, whose

work for the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Bute forms the subject of a scholarly and elegant book by

Gavin Stamp. I have worked in a building for which he was partly responsible, and I know St

Andrew's Chapel at Westminster Cathedral well. At a conference on Byzantine influence on the Arts

and Crafts movement held last year at King's College, London, much attention was paid to him. I very

much hope that this building, which is a distinguished piece of architecture and a notable feature of

the architectural history of Cardiff, will be preserved.”

Jeff Childs, author of Roath, Splott and Adamsdown. One Thousand Years of History “I fully support

this application for listing. The Cardiff University Settlement in Splott was the only one in Wales and

was, in effect, the equivalent of the world-famous Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel. As such, it takes its

place alongside settlements in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol and

other places as late-Victorian and early-Edwardian centres and providers of learning and culture for

poor and deprived children of large urban areas. In combating the stigma, social exclusion,

powerlessness and the lack of opportunity and choice which are the hallmarks of poverty, the

settlements (several of which like Toynbee Hall are still fully-functioning) have left a terrific legacy in

terms of social action, voluntarism and education. A good proportion of the original buildings of theCardiff settlement survive and require protection and preservation in view of the site’s significance,



which is amplified by the fact that it subsequently became the home to St Illtyd’s College, the first

Roman Catholic grammar school in Wales, whose 1937 extension is of considerable architectural

merit.”

Liam Affley, Chair, Wales and the Marches Catholic History Society. “Within the context of historic

interest, this building is unique because it represents an important element in the the social history,

not only of Cardiff but of the whole of Wales.

Firstly, we believe its preservation is crucial to our knowledge and understanding of the Settlement

Movement and its aim to provide educational, social and cultural opportunities to the poorer

members of society. Secondly, the importance of the building to the Cardiff Catholic community

cannot be underestimated. After the First World War the building became home to St. Illtyd's

College. St Illtyd's was the only Catholic grammar school for boys in Wales and its educational and

religious philosophy was encapsulated in the magnificent facade which exists today.

In short, to destroy the building - and its facade - would, we feel, result in a major loss to the citizens

of Cardiff and beyond."

Ken Poole FRICS, Head of Economic Development, Cardiff County Council. “There is no doubt the

University Settlement movement was a significant social movement at the end of the 19th

and

beginning of the 20th

century and the foundations of the Christian socialist movement . The building

in Splott was purpose built and while it had a relatively short life the name Splott US persisted to

well into the 1960s with the local baseball team.”

Paul Flynn MP, former St Illtyds College pupil. “You could describe growing up in Grangetown, going

to school in Splott as the ‘dream ticket’. I have very happy memories of the building, and it would be

a real shame to see it destroyed. I can remember the hall at St Illtyds being particularly impressive,

and the BBC would regularly broadcast concerts from there.”

Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth. “As a local resident of Splott myself, I know

how important this building is to the local community. Moreover, the historical significance of the

building, forming a key part of social and political developments, and the movement to promote the

welfare of workers at the start of the 20th

century make this a unique building which must be

preserved.”

Huw Thomas, Ed Stubbs, Gretta Marshall, County Councillors for Splott & Tremorfa. “This building

is a much-loved part of the fabric of Splott. It is a salutary reminder of the area’s working class roots,and how the people of Splott fought to rise out of poverty through education. It is a distinct building,

with an unique architectural history. Its loss would rob the ward of an important link with its past,

and severely damage the historical integrity of the area.”

Mr Christopher Hogg and Mr Nicholas Hunt, local residents. “There are very few such buildings in

the Splott area and we believe the demolition of such an historic and handsome building would be a

travesty. The loss of the building will take away character from the area and would be replaced with

what is a modern faceless monstrosity. Why it was never listed escapes us.”

David James, local resident. “If demolished, an iconic building will be completely lost from Cardiff ’s

landscape. Having featured in prime time television programmes in recent months it is clear that the



building is not just symbolic but has a function as well. If the development involved measures to

preserve and rejuvenate the existing building then the news may not have come as such a heavy

blow, but it seems that the proposed development is only taking things from the area and giving

very little, if any, benefit back.”

Conclusion

To summarise, this application outlines why the Old College building is a much loved local building,

which greatly enhances the historic character of the surrounding area, whose loss would have a

detrimental impact on its environs, including the already listed structure of Lower Splott Farm

opposite.

Most important, we believe this application successfully demonstrates that the building is of

national significance, both architecturally, and due to its social history. By virtue of being the only

building in Wales built by Arts and Craft architect, and Marquess of Bute collaborator, Robert WeirSchultz, the architectural importance of the building cannot be understated. Similarly, as the only

example of the remarkable University Settlement movement in Wales, and also the site of Wales’

first Catholic Grammar school, the building has a unique place in the social fabric of the nation.

It is therefore imperative that the building is listed, so as to be protected from demolition, and

preserved for future generations.

For further details, please contact the principal author of this application, Councillor Huw Thomas,

19 Wilson St,

SplottCF24 2NZ

07581 163203

[email protected]

Bibliography

Bull, B.M.; The University Settlement in Cardiff . The School of Printing, Cardiff College of Art: 1965

Childs, Jeff; Roath, Splott and Adamsdown: One Thousand Years of History. The History Press, Stroud:2012

Mortimer, Dic; Cardiff: The Biography. Amberley Publishing, Stroud: 2014

Stamp, Gavin; Robert Weir Schultz: Architect, and his work for the Marquesses of Bute. Mount Stuart:

1981

The following plans area held at the Glamorgan Archives, and have been reproduced, in part, in the

application above:

BC/S/1/15464: New Settlement Buildings, Walker Road, 1904

mailto:[email protected]





BC/S/1/16215: Plan of University Settlement Buildings, University Place, 1906

BC/S/1/26592: Alterations and additions to St. Illtyd's College, St. Illtyd's College, Courtenay Road,

1936

BC/S/1/40688: Rebuilding of St. Illtyd's College, St. Illtyd's College, Courtenay Road, 1951

Application for Awarding Listed Status to the Old College Buildings Splott

Documents

Transcript of Application for Awarding Listed Status to the Old College Buildings Splott