Bangor Town Hall

For the town hall in Northern Ireland, see Bangor Castle.

Bangor Town Hall
Native name Neuadd y Dref Bangor (Welsh)
Bangor Town Hall (with the administration building of Bangor University in the background)
Location	Ffordd Deiniol, Bangor
Coordinates	53°13′39″N4°07′43″W / 53.2274°N 4.1285°W / 53.2274; -4.1285
Built	c.1546
Architectural style(s)	Vernacular style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Town Hall
Designated	27 May 1949
Reference no.	3951
Shown in Gwynedd

Bangor Town Hall (Welsh : Neuadd y Dref Bangor), formerly The Bishop's Palace (Welsh : Plas yr Esgob), is a municipal building on Ffordd Deiniol, in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. The structure, which is now used as a museum, is a Grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

Bishop's Palace

The building was commissioned by the Bishop of Bangor, probably Arthur Bulkeley, as his residence and was completed in around 1546. ^{[2] [3]} The original design involved the right-hand part of the present central block, facing south towards Bangor Cathedral, and the east wing, which was projected forward. It was considerably extended at the request of the then-bishop, Henry William Majendie, creating a west wing, the left-hand part of the present central block and additions at the rear of the central block in 1810. The central wing then comprised six bays with a two-storey jettied and gabled porch in the second bay from the left. The other bays were fenestrated by tri-partite sash windows on both floors. The four bays on the right also contained dormer windows at attic level. The ends of the wings, which were projected forward as pavilions, were fenestrated with bi-partite sash windows on both floors. A slate plaque was installed reading: "Dominus Gulielimus Episcopus Aedificavit AD - 1810" (English: The home of Bishop William erected in the year of our lord 1810). ^[1] The building ceased to be used as the bishop's residence in 1900. ^[4]

Town Hall

After the borough council was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883, ^[5] the new civic leaders decided to acquire the building and to convert it for use as its headquarters in 1903. The building was renamed "Town Hall" (despite Bangor being a city) in 1908. ^[6] Internally, the principal new room established was the council chamber, which featured a vaulted ceiling, on the first floor. ^[1] It continued to serve as the local municipal headquarters when Arfon District Council was formed in 1974, ^{[7] [8]} but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Gwynedd Council was formed in 1996. ^[9] However, it continued to be used as an area office of Gwynedd Council until 2013. ^[10]

Storiel Museum

In March 2014, an extensive programme of refurbishment works costing £2.6 million was initiated, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to convert the building into a museum. ^{[11] [12]}

The Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, which had been located in The Canonry in Tan-y-Fynwent, relocated to the former Town Hall, which re-opened as the Storiel (a portmanteau formed from the Welsh words stori (story) and oriel (gallery)) on 30 January 2016. ^{[13] [14] [15]} The collection, which includes items assembled by Bangor University since it first opened in 1884, features a Roman artefact known as the "Segontium Sword", found at the Roman fort of Segontium. ^{[16] [17]}

References

1. Cadw. "Town Hall (3951)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
2. "Building History". Storiel. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
3. Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam; Alfrey, Judith (2009). Gwynedd Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merioneth (Buildings of Wales Series). Yale University Press. p. 243. ISBN   978-0-300-14169-6.
4. "Bishop's Palace; Town Hall; Neuadd y Dref". Coflein. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
5. Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (46 & 46 Vict. Ch. 18) (PDF). 1883. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
6. "Bangor Town Hall". Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald. Caernarfon. 10 January 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
7. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN   0-10-547072-4.
8. "No. 52305". The London Gazette . 18 October 1990. p. 16245.
9. "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1994 c. 19, retrieved 8 November 2022
10. "Jobs could be created at Bangor Town Hall". North Wales Live. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
11. "Heritage Lottery funding boost for Gwynedd's Heritage". National Lottery Heritage Fund. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
12. "Gwynedd Museum may move to Bishop's Palace in Bangor". BBC. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
13. Williams, Mike (23 February 2016). "Bangor's new Storiel centre saw 5,000 visitors before it even officially opened". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
14. "Bangor museum Storiel open to public". Seren. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
15. "New museum and gallery opens doors in Gwynedd". North Wales Live. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
16. "Sword from the Roman fort of Segontium (Caernarfon)". People's Collection Wales. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
17. "A History of the World: The Segontium Sword". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2023.