Montgomery Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Trefaldwyn) is a municipal structure in Broad Street, Montgomery, Wales. The town hall, which served as the meeting place of Montgomery Borough Council, 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 first town hall in Montgomery was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

half-timbered structure, which a map drawn by the

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...

, in 1610 shows was sited in the middle of Broad Street. In the mid-18th century, the Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire,

Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis PC (before 9 April 1703Baptism date. – 10 September 1772), known as Henry Herbert until 1743 and as The Lord Herbert of Chirbury between 1743 and 1748, was a British peer and politician. Background A me ...

, proposed demolishing the old building and to replacing it with a new structure. The new building was designed by

William Baker of Audlem William Baker of Audlem (1705–1771) was an architect, surveyor and building contractor, working in Shropshire and the adjacent counties in the middle years of the 18th century. Early life He was the son of Richard Baker, who had moved from Lon ...

in the

neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

, built in red brick with stone dressings and was completed in 1751. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing east down Broad Street although the centre of the building was offset to the line of the street. The building was arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held. The central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured a large window on the first floor with 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 ...

above, and the outer bays also had windows on the first floor. Internally, the principal room was the main assembly room on the first floor which was equipped with a wooden sprung dance floor. The room was used from an early stage for hearings of the

court of quarter sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

. In 1828 the building was re-modelled to a design by the

county surveyor A county surveyor is a public official in the United Kingdom and the United States. United Kingdom Webb & Webb describe the increasing chaos that began to prevail within this same period in field of county surveying in England and Wales, with c ...

Thomas Penson Thomas Penson, or Thomas Penson the younger (c. 1790 – 1859) was the county surveyor of Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire. An innovative architect and designer of a number of masonry arch bridges over the River Severn and elsewhere. He was th ...

; the work, which was carried out at the expense of the

Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire The following is a list of people who have held the title of Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire. After 1761, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced by the Lord Li ...

Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis, (7 March 1754 – 16 May 1839), known as the Lord Clive between 1774 and 1804, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1794 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Clive. Earl ...

, involved raising the roof level and extending the building to the rear. In 1900, the arcading was infilled with glazing and, in the case of the central bay, with a wooden panelled doorway, and in 1921, a clock tower, which was intended to commemorate the life of the former

High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire The office of High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire was established in 1541 since then a High Sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Powys as part of the creation of Powys from the amalgama ...

, Alderman Nicholas Watson Fairles-Humphreys, was installed on the roof. The town hall continued to serve as the main meeting place of the borough council but ceased to be used in that way when the enlarged Montgomeryshire District Council was formed at Newtown in 1974. Improvements were made to the configuration of the ground floor in spring 2009, and a further programme of works, together with the installation of a lift, was carried out in summer 2019.

References

{{reflist Government buildings completed in 1751 City and town halls in Wales Montgomery, Powys Grade II* listed buildings in Powys

History

See also

References