Plas Menai

The general arrangement and disposition of interior spaces survives substantially as built, and although some changes have been made, particularly in the reception area, bar and lounge, sufficient original detail survives to enable the building’s remarkable aesthetic to be appreciated. In the principle public areas, much use is made of exposed stone, concrete and wood (now painted in places), with exposed stone in main staircase and chimney breast in main lounge (now concealed in a store cupboard), extensive tongue-and groove boarding, and chunky joinery detail to staircases etc. Joinery detail is consistent across the site although the original dark stain has been painted in some areas. Most doors have been replaced by standard fire regulation doors but their distinctive boarded architraves survive, and many storerooms and some cupboards retain the original doors, characterised by applied timber strips that echo the externally applied mullions of the windows. Original bespoke furniture including the reception desk and bar have been replaced.. .Refurbished areas at the pool level and dining hall serving bay are identifiable by a change in materials and finishes. All en suites to the dormitories have been refurbished. These C21 alterations and additions are not of special interest.

Outdoor education complex in a distinctive modern vernacular idiom. The complex combines a range of facilities in a series of linked blocks. These form a staggered plan in three main ranges, accommodated to the sloping site and falling away towards the shoreline, comprising four main levels in all. The site pivots around a cluster of blocks that house the main public areas and form its central core: here, lounges, recreation rooms and offices are housed over the upper three levels of the site. From this central core, the advanced SW range houses entrance and reception, office and dining facilities over the top two levels of the site; the main accommodation block runs back to the NE, housing swimming pool, bedrooms etc, over the second and third levels of the site. From the central core, a NW range steps down towards the Menai Strait shoreline, housing stores and some sports facilities mainly on the first and second levels of the site. The natural stone climbing wall in the upper end of this range was designed by John Jackson, chief instructor at the National Mountain Centre at Plas y Brenin between 1957 and 1975, and first head of Plas Menai. The NW range is linked to a NE range housing workshop space, wet classroom accommodation etc forming the lowest level of the site. The NE and NW ranges form two sides of a courtyard, the upper range of which is formed by the central core, which rises from the lower level above a battered stone-faced retaining wall.

The complex presents a varied and picturesque composition, in which each range is stepped in plan and height, giving subtle external expression to internal divisions of space and function. Elevations are correspondingly varied in surface treatment, for example in the use of slate-hanging and in the changing rhythm of the horizontal bands of fenestration. Rooflines are also broken not only by their stepped heights, but also by extensive use of sweeping outshuts, and in parts of the SE range, by upper storeys pushed up through the main roofline, which forms a skirt of slate beneath long lines of attic windows; other roof detail includes an inset balcony on the outward facing slope of the SW range, and a prominent angled stone chimney stack in the SE range. A harmonious composition throughout is achieved by consistent use of angles and slopes. In the SW corner of the SW range, a stone flying buttress appears to anchor the building to the ground.

The various blocks are unified by a consistent architectural language and tight palette of materials. The dominant elements are the huge spreading Welsh slate roofs (concealed in part by photo-voltaic panels) with low eaves and deep overhangs on projecting joists. The walls are mostly roughcast with some use of exposed stone and slate-hanging. Windows are usually arranged as long horizontal bands immediately beneath the eaves, in an asymmetrical but tight rhythm articulated by the use of external applied mullions. Some have been replaced with UPVC, but the original dark-stained timber windows still dominate visually. The palette of material and detail varies according to the function of each block – for example the main accommodation block in the SE range has near-continuous glazing in both principal elevations, whereas the NW range presents larger expanses of roughcast walling. Structurally, the walls are load-bearing (stone and brick) combined with supporting columns and beams, with pre-cast floor structures and laminated timber roofs.

As set out above, some external alterations have been carried out including the installation of roof mounted solar panels, window replacements and additions as well as works to the rear entrance (from main car park). These C21 alterations and additions are not of special interest.