Mariners Hall

Mariners Hall is an early 19th-century offices and warehouse, later converted to a Mariners Hall and subsequently to offices around 1985. It was originally built for Samuel Bowley, a merchant. The building is constructed of red brick with stone detailing and has a slate roof. It comprises a double-depth block with a segmental curve on the front, designed to echo the curve of the road junction of Llanthony Road and Southgate Street, and an end-gabled range adjoining it to the right on Llanthony Road. A small lean-to extension is located at the rear.

The front elevation is two storeys and symmetrical, with five bays. The central bay is particularly wide and curved, flanked by slightly projecting bays and end bays. A raised stone band is present at the impost level of the arched openings and crowning raised stone band, topped with a low, stone-coped parapet. The ground floor of the projecting bays features semicircular arched doorways with recessed jambs and arches, each containing a large raised keystone and a fanlight with radiating bars above a six-panel door. The central bay has three semicircular arched sashes with radiating glazing bars (3x4 panes) set within openings with rubbed brick arches and raised keystones. The end bays have sashes with glazing bars (3x4 panes) in flat brick arches. The first floor has a central sash and narrow sashes to each side, all with glazing bars (3x4 panes in the central sash). Other first-floor sash windows have glazing bars (3x4 and 3x3 panes), and all are within openings with rubbed brick flat-arched heads and projecting stone sills.

The Mariners' Hall section is a tall single-storey structure, with two storeys in the right-hand end bay. The front has four bays with a wide, offset brick plinth and brick pilasters with brick cappings at eaves. There are tall windows with a fixed light and short, side-hung sash at the top (with glazing bars of 3x6 panes) in three bays. The right-hand bay has a sash window (4x4 panes) on each floor. All openings are topped with brick segmental-arched heads and have projecting stone sills. The west gable-end wall includes a central doorway with a vertically boarded door and a late 19th-century horned sash window on the first floor. The interior was not inspected.

The building is an interesting example of its type and is historically linked to the nearby docks development of the early 19th century.