The Nelson Rooms, Monmouth
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The Nelson Rooms is a
grade II listed 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 ...
building 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 ...
,
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
,
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 ...
. It is in the historic Glendower Street and Agincourt Street neighbourhood, within the medieval town walls. The building initially served as a gymnasium and was a gift from
Lady Llangattock Georgiana, Lady Llangattock, (28 February 1837 (baptised) – 1 April 1923), born Georgiana Marcia Maclean and after her marriage termed Georgiana Marcia Rolls, was a socialite, benefactor and an enthusiast for Horatio Nelson and associated na ...
to the town of Monmouth. In 1924, after the benefactor's death, it reopened as the Nelson Museum, and showcased the collection of memorabilia related to
Admiral Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
that had been amassed by the baroness. The Nelson Museum moved to new quarters at the
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 ...
in 1969. The former gymnasium and museum is now an apartment building.


History

The Nelson Rooms at 2 Glendower Street in Monmouth is a 19th-century, 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 ...
. It is located at the corner of Glendower Street and Agincourt Street, within the medieval town walls. The street on which it is situated was referred to as Grinders Street in the medieval period. The building was constructed in the late 19th century and has undergone little alteration of its exterior in the interim. It was built by Lady Llangattock (1837–1923) as the Working Men's Gymnasium. Lady Llangatock, née Georgiana Marcia Maclean, was the wife of
John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, (19 February 1837 – 24 September 1912) was a Victorian landowner, Conservative Party politician, socialite, local benefactor and agriculturalist. He lived at The Hendre, a Victorian country hous ...
(1837–1912). Lord and Lady Llangattock were the parents of four children, including their youngest son
Charles Stewart Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with ...
(1877–1910). Their son Charles co-founded
Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his cranes, they ...
and was an aviation enthusiast. In 1910, he became the first Englishman to die in an aviation accident when his
Wright biplane The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...
crashed at
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. Lady Llangattock lost her husband and all three of her sons in a six-year period. Lord Llangattock died in October 1912, and their two surviving sons,
John Maclean Rolls John Maclean Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock (25 April 1870 – 31 October 1916) was a British barrister and army Major. Biography Rolls was son of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, and his wife Georgiana Marcia Maclean. He was born in London, b ...
and Henry Allan Rolls, both died in 1916 during World War I. Georgiana Rolls donated the Working Men's Gymnasium to the town of Monmouth in the late 19th century. In 1901,
Kelly's Directory Kelly's Directory (or more formally, the Kelly's, Post Office and Harrod & Co Directory) was a trade directory in England that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses o ...
of Monmouthshire referred to the gym on Glendower Street as the Monmouth Gymnasium and revealed that it was staffed by John B. Hyam and Ernest William Hyam. The former, with the title Honorable Secretary, presumably was the John Benjamin Hyam who appeared on the same record as a manufacturer and merchant at
Hyam's Mineral Water Works Hyam's Mineral Water Works is a nineteenth century building at 23 Glendower Street, Monmouth, Wales. Formerly a mineral water works, it is currently used as residential apartments. The building holds one of the 24 blue plaques awarded by the Mon ...
. While the connection of
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
to Monmouth was somewhat tenuous, Georgiana, Lady Llangatock, became an avid collector of memorabilia related to the admiral. The Nelson Collection was a bequest to Monmouth from Lady Llangattock upon her death in 1923. The Nelson Museum was established at the former Monmouth Gymnasium in 1924 and the collection amassed by Lady Llangattock formed the core of its offerings. One of the most renowned items in the museum's collection is the set of leather-bound volumes containing the letters of Horatio Nelson to his spouse, one of them holding the wedding ring of Lady Nelson. In 1934, the Misses F. and G. Thomas were the museum curators. The Nelson Museum moved from the former gymnasium on Glendower Street to its present quarters at the Market Hall on Priory Street in 1969, six years after a fire that had ravaged the Market Hall. In addition to the admiral's relics, the Monmouth Museum's collection includes information about Lady Llangattock's famed son Charles Stewart Rolls. After the museum's transfer to Priory Street, the history collections for Monmouth were included in the exhibits. Accordingly, the Monmouth Museum is also referred to as the Nelson Museum and Local History Centre.


Design

The building at Glendower Street is thought to have been the design of Benjamin Lawrence, a Newport architect who designed the Working Men's Free Institute at 1 Monk Street for Lady Llangattock as well. Lawrence was also the architect of the
Monmouth Baptist Church Monmouth Baptist Church is located in Monk Street, Monmouth, south east Wales. The church building was opened in 1907, although the Baptist congregation had been formed in 1818. The church became a Grade II listed building on 27 October 1998. H ...
on
Monk Street Monk Street is a hamlet in the civil parish of Thaxted, in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is south of the town of Thaxted, on the main B184 road to Great Dunmow. The name of the hamlet is probably linked to the former Cistercian a ...
. The building derives its current name, The Nelson Rooms, from the Nelson Museum which was housed there before the museum's move in 1969. It was grade II listed on 8 October 2005. During the interval since the move of the museum, the building served for a time as an auction venue, and more recently has been converted to residential apartments. In February 2006, an application was submitted to the
Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 an ...
, requesting permission to convert the listed building to three flats; approval was granted the following August. In April 2008, another application was submitted to the Monmouthshire County Council, requesting that further renovation of the Glendower Street building be permitted for its continued use as apartments; the modifications were approved the following June. The building is situated with one elevation along Glendower Street and its
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
end facing Agincourt Street. The 19th-century, two storey building has a first floor which is of substantially greater height than the ground floor. It is constructed of red sandstone
rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...
, and has contrasting
Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, t ...
and trim. The Glendower Street elevation features an
oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found pro ...
with a
castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
and stone
apron An apron is a garment that is worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body. The word comes from old French ''napron'' meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", through a linguistics process cal ...
. The Agincourt Street facade features a
canted Cant, CANT, canting, or canted may refer to: Language * Cant (language), a secret language * Beurla Reagaird, a language of the Scottish Highland Travellers * Scottish Cant, a language of the Scottish Lowland Travellers * Shelta or the Cant, a lan ...
bay and another window with castellated parapet and apron. Three band courses run the length of the circumference of the building.


See also

*
Monmouth Museum The Monmouth Museum, alternatively known as The Nelson Museum and Local History Centre, is a museum in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It features a collection of artifacts associated with Admiral Horatio Nelson. The museum is loc ...
*
Lady Llangattock Georgiana, Lady Llangattock, (28 February 1837 (baptised) – 1 April 1923), born Georgiana Marcia Maclean and after her marriage termed Georgiana Marcia Rolls, was a socialite, benefactor and an enthusiast for Horatio Nelson and associated na ...
*
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...


References


External links


Monmouth Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Rooms Houses in Monmouth, Wales Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire Cadw Gyms in the United Kingdom Grade II listed museum buildings Apartment buildings in Wales Grade II listed residential buildings