Howells

Why go

The building records the growth of a Cardiff family shop into a department-store complex. Compare its ornate nineteenth-century frontage with the more restrained neoclassical extension. This is a useful stop for understanding the city’s shopping history while walking between the market and arcades.

What to look for

• The St Mary Street frontage combines ornate Victorian work with a neoclassical extension.
• Historic James Howell & Co signage belongs to the building’s department-store identity.

The full story

James Howell established his business in 1856, beginning with a shop on The Hayes before developing the larger St Mary Street premises. Successive extensions made the complex a record of changing retail architecture, from late Victorian ornament to twentieth-century additions. One expansion produced an unusual piece of preservation. In the 1920s, the store absorbed Bethany Chapel, whose 1865 frontage became part of the interior. The chapel’s survival explains why the complex has architectural interest beyond its street façade; it does not mean that this interior is available to visit. The business later became part of House of Fraser, but the protected James Howell signage retained the founder’s name. Read the different façades as evidence of that growth, rather than expecting the old department-store experience.

Useful to know

• Treat Howells as an exterior stop unless the operator confirms public access to a specific interior.
• Combine the façade with Cardiff Market and the nearby shopping arcades.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.