Salutation

Salutation was originally the lodge and stable block at Aber Iâ (c. 1850, listed Grade II 1971) built between 1842 and 1858. Described in 1861 in Richard Richard's Pen and Ink Sketches as "the Lodge, with the stables adjoining, the latter being built with all the most modern improvements". The roof of fish scale slates was a feature of the C19 buildings here and can be seen on Mermaid and the Hotel. Salutation has the same twisted chimneys as the hotel also. Clough adapted this stable block "in a rather slapdash way" once he had completed Angel and Neptune. In 1966-67 he "Cloughed-up" the right hand gable in a style similar to a Dutch gable.

The building was first used as a cafe in 1931 when visitor numbers had overwhelmed the capacity of the hotel: "Despite the economic gloom" wrote Clough, "the season of 1931 proved that we had not gone too far or too fast, but quite embarrassingly, that we had under-estimated our growing popularity. The big brand-new curvilinear restaurant on the sea-edge, opened a little doubtfully for Easter, was, by August, hopelessly inadequate for its dual purpose of serving both residents and day-visitors... The Salutation serves the passing traveller either in its black and white marble-floored Salle...or else on one of its terraces, amongst clipped bay trees and flower urns beneath the shade of sycamores." As well as the Salutation Restaurant the building also housed the Ship Shop, established by Clough's daughter Susan and her husband Euan which specialised in her Portmeirion Pottery (above left circa 1965) as indeed it still does. Susan designed and painted a colourful mural of vines and cupids with fountain and white doves on the courtyard side of this building which, having been painted over, was recreated in 1996 by artist Nigel Simmons. Above the shop are two double rooms and a suite.