Former Queen’s & Royal Garage, Cardiff

Former Queen’s & Royal Garage, 27 Westgate Street

Look up to see the Art Deco frieze on this building. It depicts a stylised motor car and aeroplane from the inter-war period, with “Carways” and “Airways” written above. The central emblem depicts wings and a car tyre, behind a flaming torch.

The building was built in the 1930s as a shared garage for the Queen’s Hotel and the Royal Hotel. The latter still exists, a little to the south. The Queen’s Hotel was originally the Stogumber Hotel and was rebuilt c.1895. It occupied the plot behind the garage and the Queen’s Vaults pub. Both hotels catered for well-heeled guests, and the confident use of Art Deco on the garage’s frontage – as well as the plane picture – were intended to reinforce the idea of sophistication and modernity. Cardiff’s first civilian airport opened in Splott in 1931, and from 1935 until the Second World War it had scheduled international flights to and from France.

The garage was modern in its construction too, using concrete and a framework of steel. It remained in use as a garage, latterly for taxis, into the 21st century. In 2007-2008 it was converted to become the Zerodegrees restaurant and microbrewery. The brewing equipment takes pride of place beside the windows.

Where is this HiPoint?

Postcode: CF10 1DD

Website of Zerodegrees