Mountain Ash Workman's Club and Institute

This is a tall, former hotel built in the Italian palazzo style, dating from the late 19th century. Constructed of colour-washed rendered stone with rendered dressings, it features a hipped, shallow-pitched triple-pile slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and red brick corniced stacks. The building has a roughly rectangular main block and a side wing to the rear. It rises four storeys with a cellar/basement; the basement level is at ground level to the rear. The design extends along the Oxford Street frontage and the side elevation facing the station approach. The main frontage has six windows, while the side elevation has five. The uppermost floor windows are blind, round-arched with moulded sills, and a continuous impost band. Second-floor windows are 2/2 pane sash windows set back within deep, moulded architraves and continuous moulded sill bands. First-floor windows are distinguished by shallow, heavy pediments with keystones, console brackets and panelled architraves; some of the three central windows on the front have been blocked, while the side windows have been altered. The ground floor is rusticated with an entablature above and a plinth at the base, incorporating basement windows as the ground level falls to the side. Originally, the entrance frontage had doors on the left and right, with four windows in between, all round-arched and separated by rusticated pilasters. The doorway to the left is retained but unused, featuring panelled doors and a leaded coloured glass overlight. The original main entrance doorway to the right has been converted to a window. Other ground-floor windows retain their sills but have altered glazing.

The interior retains the original hallway, although the main entrance is now accessed through a former adjacent shop, and the original entrance is blocked, with a very decorative flat arch retained. A fine, open-well staircase remains, featuring decorative, deeply molded baroque-style mahogany newel posts, molded balusters, decorative treads, and a deep swept handrail. Main lounges and bars have been altered, but some door surrounds and ceiling cornices have been preserved. The billiard room retains frosted glass swing doors. There’s an original doorway and stairs leading to the cellar/basement, where the cellar was formerly partially used as stables with a channelled stable-tile floor. The basement also contains a purpose-built skittle alley. The first-floor hall has been refurbished. The two upper floors have not been altered and, although partly derelict, retain their original layout and many fittings, including door and window surrounds with architraves and roundels, panelled doors, some fireplaces, gas mantles, a dumb waiter, ceiling hooks, a water pump, and a linen cupboard.