If you have ever visited Cardiff Bay, for an event, for a stroll next to the water or for a meal, you've probably walked past this distinctive building that was once the Juboraj Indian restaurant.
The Grade II listed building is known historically and locally as The Big Windsor to avoid confusion with the nearby pub the Windsor Arms in Stuart Street, which has since disappeared.
The distinctive period property has seen a lot of changes and phases in its life as a public house, hotel and eatery since its construction in 1882.
According to the website coflein.gov.uk the building gained international culinary fame after World War II due to the celebrity-style chef Abel Magneron.
Even after Abel's death in 1954, the family continued the business until 1967 when the building was forced to close due to a fire.
The property was reopened and updated in the 1970s, including a new single-storey extension to the west of the main structure.
But by the 1990s the property had begun to deteriorate, resulting in a comprehensive renovation, including the demolition of the '70s extension.
In 2008 the introduction of more accessible entrance at the southern end of the property was built when it was operating as The Spice Merchant restaurant.
Most recently, visitors to Cardiff Bay will remember the property as the Juboraj Indian restaurant, which closed at the beginning of 2018.
Local property development company, Quin & Co, bought the building in December 2018 and achieved listed building consent and planning consent in July 2019.
So begins a new chapter in The Big Windsor's already colourful life story.
The company is completely renovating the basement and ground floor into a commercial unit of 2744 square feet with the potential for a restaurant, café, pub, club or bar.
All the former restaurant fixtures and fittings have gone, the area is undergoing renovation and the unit is currently up for let with Fletcher Morgan for £40,000 per annum.
John Pinn from the company says: "We wanted to retain commercial on the ground floor to ensure an active frontage in this area.
"There wasn’t anything special in the restaurant to keep sadly! We salvaged what we could to other operators, even some stuff was given away rather than sent to landfill."
The first and second floors of this distinctive and well-loved building will be totally transformed into four, 2 bedroom apartments.
John says the company commissioned a heritage report on the site but it was found that the building contained no surviving internal original features, presumably having been ripped out years ago before the property was giving listed status by Cadw in 1975, which was updated in 1998.
Here's how The Big Windsor currently looks, taken right back to its brickwork:
But it hasn't been a plain sailing property renovation at the Cardiff Bay site.
The renovation began in December 2019 and the initial work was a challenge.
John remembers: "The building was in a poor state, it was damp with a leaking roof.
"The basement was constantly flooding, to about a foot deep! We have undertaken extensive and complex tanking works to the basement to create a usable space.
"Working below the water table having to constantly pump water out to install the tanking was an engineering nightmare!
"The upper floors in the past were converted to staff accommodation but were nothing special."
But with the CGIs (computer generated images) of what the four apartments are likely to look like in the future having just been released by the company, the upper floors look like they will soon be something very special.
According to John, the spacious apartments on the upper floors have been designed to a luxury standard and are due to be completed by August 2020.
They will cost between £265,000 - £300,000 and will be available through estate agent CPS Homes.
Inside the apartments, there is a visually engaging myriad of features, colours and textures within the highly contemporary interior design scheme.
Matt black porcelain tiles will visually blend with the limestone, granite and marble surfaces featuring in each home.
Within the open-plan living space there will be brass fixtures and fittings complementing the charcoal Shaker-style kitchens and marble effect quartz worktops.
The attention to detail continues throughout each property via detailed skirtings and architraves and polished black nickel switches and sockets.
Contemporary touches include crittall-style shower screens and a rarer marble called calacatta used for tiles and brushed brass taps in the bathroom.
The addition of decorative traditional wall panels provides a nod to the building's former Victorian birth.
The period of the property is in no doubt when looking at the engaging exterior of the well-known building and luckily for the company, the instantly recognisable facade was in a good condition.
John comments: "The current colour isn’t in-keeping with how the building would have been originally and we’re looking at historical records to bring this back into a more traditional colour.
"Historically this building has previously been left to nearly ruin and by converting it into an active use, this ensures that year-on-year the building is maintained by the very nature of having occupants."
Finally, the windows will be wooden sash replicas of the originals, but the absorbing views of Cardiff Bay from every window and the history of this landmark building are aspects that cannot be replicated elsewhere; The Big Windsor is truly unique.
