Grand Pavilion

The Grand Pavilion is a 20th-century building of group value, designed as a pavilion with an octagonal central dome and entrance bays flanked by two loggia wings. The dome is constructed of ferrous concrete and is silver coloured, tiered at its base, divided into sections by flat ribs, and surmounted by a weathervane. The octagonal walls have wide, segmental arched Diocletian windows on the upper floor, with double windows to the sides. A rear service wing is attached, featuring blind panels and a motif derived from triglyphs. Additional wings have been added to the sides, and some alterations have been made to the windows.

A prominent clock tower is attached to the front, featuring two angled clock faces rising from a square plinth with relief lettering, a date, and an orb finial. The symmetrical main frontage is one storey high, with the central section topped by a balustraded parapet and chunky moulded end piers on a moulded cornice. A curved entrance bay sits centrally, flanked by pairs of tapered Tuscan columns on a plinth. Curved concrete steps, with a terrazzo floor incorporating a Porthcawl anchor motif, lead to a recessed doorway with 1930s-style lettering in the overlight. Bays on either side of the entrance have deeply channelled render and heavy keystones over full-length windows with replaced glazing, flanked by a second pair of columns. Wide, round-headed arches, also deeply channelled with keystones and imposts, lead to side entrances and stairs to a lower level. Loggia wings extend on each side, each comprising five pairs of columns, steps to replaced full-length windows, and an entablature with a triglyph-derived frieze and a plain parapet. The end bays on each side form an elaborate archway leading to what was formerly the Winter Gardens, featuring pairs of columns on a plinth, supporting an entablature on each side of a central recessed archway of two orders with a deep stepped, flat-topped pediment, all with heavy channelling of voussoirs and masonry joints.

The interior, although substantially refurbished, retains much of its original plan. The central hall features a tent-like roof, a balcony with a moulded front, a stage with some decorative plaster mouldings to the surround and wall, and a sprung floor.