Empire House

The area of Butetown was developed from the early 19th century by John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, and by his son, the 3rd marquess. Together they constructed the docks which enabled the export of iron and coal from the South Wales Valleys. While the docks themselves were not especially profitable, the enormous increases in the tonnage of iron, steel and coal exported through them made the Butes immensely wealthy. Empire House was built in 1926 at the instigation of Commander Charles E Evans, Chairman of Evans & Reid, one of the largest coal exporters in South Wales. Evans' chosen architects were Ivor Jones and Percy Thomas. In 2015, the flat created from the former company…

Empire House is of seven bays and seven storeys. It is built in reinforced concrete to a "Hennebique" design. The façade is Flemish bond red brick with Portland stone ashlar dressings. Cadw considers Empire House "the best South Wales example of inter-war, Neo-Georgian architecture". The architectural historian John Newman, in his Glamorgan volume in the Pevsner Buildings of Wales series, noted its "dominant" position on the north side of Mount Stuart Square, and its "Lutyensesque derivation". Despite its conversion to apartments, the building's interior retains many period features, including the "handsome Louis Quinze openwork metal lift-cage". The lift was built by the American…