Heritage Wales

George IV restoration is on track for success

Criccieth is a beautiful seaside holiday resort on Tremados Bay in North Wales and enjoys stunning views of the Cambrian Mountains and the 13th century Criccieth Castle. Interestingly, a former club president of the golf course is David Lloyd George, who was the Liberal prime minister during the First World War.

With an envious location on the high street, the George IV Hotel is the largest hotel in Criccieth and offers a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere for all visitors. Following the purchase of the hotel in 2007 by Leisureplex Hotel Group, a number of efforts have been made to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.

To date this has included replacing and refurbishing the stonework and the restoration of the stained glass windows on the facade with the support of Cadw, the Welsh public body responsible for historic buildings.

In November 2011, a project to extend the George IV by adding 36 en-suite bedrooms and remodelling and extending the entertainment room commenced. The £1.25 million project will allow the hotel to increase the capacity and efficiency, enabling it to grow from a small 2 coach to a 3 coach hotel.

Furthermore, the project is expected to ensure the preservation of one of the most historically important buildings in the Criccieth area. The existing George IV Hotel was constructed in the Jacobean style in 1890, whilst the two westernmost bays on the hotel’s facade are extensions from the 1920s.

The three-storey extension has been designed by architect Jon Sam Williams and is a timber frame construction with rendered external walls and a slate mono-pitch roof. In order to complement the existing building, the extension features double steel glazed windows in a similar design to those installed when the hotel was built in the 19th century.

Emlyn Jones, Contracts Manager for main contractor Henry Jones Ltd, said:

“As we are working in a commercial area, access is restrictive. Luckily our builders’ yard is behind the hotel so we can gain access to the back of the hotel through our own land, which has ultimately helped to keep the disruption to the high street to a minimum.

“A further challenge that we have faced is the fact that the hotel has been in operation throughout the project. As a result, works – including the new boiler rooms – have had to be phased in with the hotel opening times.

“This is a substantial local contract for the company and has created employment opportunities in the area. It has been a pleasure to be involved with such an important project and we look forward to delivering the hotel in June 2012.”

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Roma Publications