1–6 Priory Street in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, is a row of six shop houses designed by the architect

George Vaughan Maddox George Vaughan Maddox (1802–27 February 1864) was a nineteenth-century British architect and builder, whose work was undertaken principally in the town of Monmouth, Wales, and in the wider county. Working mainly in a Neo-Classical style, hi ...

and constructed . They form part of Maddox's redevelopment of the centre of Monmouth and stand opposite his

Market Hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and is especially common in many European countries. A food hall, the most usual ...

. The architectural historian John Newman has written that Maddox's work "gives Monmouth its particular architectural flavour," and considers Priory Street to be "his greatest work."

History

In the early 19th century, the main thoroughfare out of Monmouth towards London was Church Street, a relatively narrow street now pedestrianised. Increasing traffic on the street led to a number of accidents and demands for the construction of a new road. At the same time, developments at the Shire Hall in

Agincourt Square Agincourt Square is an open space in the centre of Monmouth, Wales, in front of the Shire Hall. The area has been used for public functions and markets over the centuries. History The mediaeval market place in Monmouth developed from the ba ...

meant that the market, previously located there, required new accommodation. In 1834, the Town Council offered a prize for a redevelopment scheme, which was won by

. Maddox, the son of another Monmouthshire architect, John Maddox, had already established a reputation within the town. Maddox's proposals envisaged a new road, described by John Newman as "a remarkably early inner bypass", that would run north of Church Street along the west bank of the

River Monnow The River Monnow ( cy, Afon Mynwy) marks the England–Wales border for much of its length. After flowing through southwest Herefordshire, England, and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales, its confluence with the River Wye is approximately south of ...

. Above the embankment side would stand slaughterhouses, supporting the new

, and facing the Hall, a row of grand residential houses, backing on to Swan Court. The road was called Priory Street, as its course ran next to

Monmouth Priory Monmouth Priory, in Priory Street, Monmouth, Wales, is a building that incorporates the remains of the monastic buildings attached to St Mary's Priory Church. The priory was a Benedictine foundation of 1075, and parts of the mediaeval buildings ...

on the route from the centre of the town.

Architecture and description

Numbers 1–6 Priory Street form a curved, symmetrical frontage at the beginning of Priory Street as it runs north-east from

. The whole block is of three storeys and nineteen bays. The frontage is

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ed, and decorated with

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

, typical of Maddox's "good facades." The roofline has a central attic, under a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

and lit by a shallow window. The architectural historian John Newman, in his ''Gwent/Monmouthshire'' volume of '' Pevsners Buildings of Wales'', notes that Maddox's work gives the town of Monmouth its "particular architectural flavour" and considers Priory Street "his finest work". The composite grouping has been designated a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

for "its exceptional architectural interest as part of an important piece of early 19th century town planning."

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1-6 Priory Street, Monmouth History of Monmouth, Wales Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire