Llantwit Major Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Llanilltud Fawr) is a local government administrative building dating back to the late 15th century, in the town of Llantwit Major in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It is 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 ...

History

The original administrative building for the town was ascribed to the late 13th-century Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan. The cellar dates from this old courthouse. The present building, in the centre of the old town, was constructed under the lordship of

Jasper Tudor Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (November 143121/26 December 1495), was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was from the noble Tudor family of Penmynydd i ...

in around 1490 and used to collect rents and as a venue for the weekly market. Fairs were also held in the building at weekends. The windows of the Town Hall may have been installed later: they are similar to those of the Old Swan Pub opposite, which date from around 1570. After being found in a state of "utter ruin and decay", it was refurbished in the late 16th century and in subsequent years the lower floor functioned as a school, a slaughterhouse and a jail while the upper floor served as a venue for church meetings and was leased to the St. Illtyd's lodge of the Odd Fellows in 1845. A clock was presented to the town in 1887 to mark the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. In the late 19th century, management of the building passed to the new parish council formed under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

. It subsequently passed to the town council which has used the town hall as its meeting place since it was formed in 1978. A major refurbishment was carried out in 2017; the refurbishment works, which entirely related to the main hall, included removal of the stage, sanding and re-varnishing the flooring and installing traditional lighting.

Description

The building is constructed of stone and has two stories, with chimney stacks and rows of mullioned windows on the long elevations. At the northeast end are two flights of stone stairs leading to an enclosed landing, above which is the large circular clock. At the apex of the northeast gable end is a bell turret with an ancient bell. The bell bears the inscription, ''Sancte Iltute, ora pro nobis'' ("Saint Illtyd, pray for us"). The building contains a hall and a council chamber. The ground floor room at the northeast end is currently used as a Tourist Information office. A blue plaque recording the historical importance of the building was placed on the town hall in February 2007.

References

Sources

External links

Llantwit Major Town Council
{{Government buildings in Wales City and town halls in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in the Vale of Glamorgan Llantwit Major Government buildings completed in 1490