Abbotsfield is a Grade II listed building in Rhosddu, Wrexham, North Wales.
| Abbotsfield | |
|---|---|
.JPG) The building's entrance | |
 | |
| Former names | Abbotsfield Priory Hotel |
| Alternative names | The Lemon Tree Restaurant |
| General information | |
| Type | Private residence (1863–20th century Council Area Education Office (20th century–1970s) Wartime nursery (20th century) Hotel (1982–present) Restaurant (2000–present) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
| Location | Rhosddu, Wrexham, Wales |
| Address | 29 Rhosddu Road |
| Coordinates | 53°03′03″N 2°59′45″W / 53.050735°N 2.995831°W |
| Completed | 1863–1865 |
| Renovated | 2010 2020–21 |
| Owner | Sam and Emma Regan (2014) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | James Reynolds Gummow |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Abbotsfield Priory Hotel |
| Designated | 31 January 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1853[1] |
It was formerly a private residence, and later a council office, until it was converted into the Abbotsfield Priory Hotel in the 1970s, later adding a restaurant and bar. The building is now The Lemon Tree restaurant, bar and hotel.
Description
editThe building is located on the corner of Grosvenor Road and Rhosddu Road,[2] It is two storeys,[3] grade II listed,[4] and in the neo-Gothic[5] style. The building is of coursed and squared tooled sandstone, with the roof being made of slate and has scalloped bands and ridge cresting. The building is arranged as a L-plan with its entrance located at the centre, at the angle of the building's wings. The building's entrance contains an asymmetric gabled porch with polished granite shafts to a deep-moulded arch engraved with the text "Trust in God" on a scroll.[3][1]
To the doorway's left is an advanced wing.[3][1] While the interior of the building has largely retained its original layout, with details such as the encaustic-tiled entrance hall, and quatrefoil rossette panelled staircase still surviving.[3][1]
History
editThe building was designed in the 1860s by local architect James Reynolds Gummow[5] as a private residence for Edward Jones.[2][3][6][7] The building was the first house built on the Rhosddu end of Grosvenor Road,[6] and was constructed and built from 1863[3] to 1865.[5]
In 1895, it was the home of John Arthur Eyton-Jones, a local surgeon. It later became an Area Education Office for the Denbighshire and later Clwyd council.[2][5][6][7]
During the World Wars, one wing of the building served as the Abbotsfield Priory War Nursery.[5]
The council later sold building in the 1970s to become a hotel in 1982[5] as the Abbotsfield Priory Hotel, a family-run hotel with fourteen bedrooms by 1995.[8] When it became a hotel and a bar in the 1970s and 1980s, various older pieces of other older Wrexham buildings were moved into the building, such as a mahogany bar from the Raglan Arms on Lambpit Street, with the mahogany structure serving as the building's bar.[2][7]
In 2000, the building was converted into Graffiti Italiano,[9] an Italian restaurant. It is now "The Lemon Tree" restaurant, bar and independently owned hotel, with twelve and later 18 bedrooms.[2][5][6][7] The hotel building underwent a complete refurbishment in March 2010, with the name "The Lemon Tree" being added, and was further renovated in 2020–21.[7] In December 2014, the restaurant was taken over by locals Sam Regan and his wife Emma.[10] The restaurant served food they self-described as "modern British".[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Cadw (31 January 1994). "Abbotsfield Priory Hotel (Grade II) (1853)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Abbotsfield Priory Hotel, Rhosddu Road, Wrexham. – "Wrexham History"". Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f "Abbotsfield Priory Hotel;The Lemon Tree, Rhosddu (96146)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "The Lemon Tree | VisitWales". www.visitwales.com. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Hotels in Wrexham, Wrexham - Lemon Tree". heritagebritain.com. Heritage Britain. 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Buildings and Places of Wrexham Past and Present". chris-myers.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "About". The Lemon Tree. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ "The Welsh Borderlands - Wrexham 1995 - Abbotsfield Priory Hotel". wrexham-history.com. Brochures from Wrexham Tourist Information Welsh Borderlands Campaign 1995. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Live, North Wales (11 June 2003). "The Lemon Tree, Wrexham". North Wales Live. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ McCrum, Kirstie (7 April 2015). "First look at The Lemon Tree in Wrexham". WalesOnline. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ Magazine, Love Wrexham (5 February 2020). "The Lemon Tree Review – Food – Love Wrexham". Love Wrexham Magazine – local advertising to promote your business. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
Further reading
edit- Cadw – For a full architectural description