County Offices | |
---|---|
Native name Neuadd Maldwyn (Welsh) | |
Location | Severn Road, Welshpool |
Coordinates | 52°39′29″N3°08′33″W / 52.6580°N 3.1424°W |
Built | 1931 |
Architect | Frank Gatley Briggs and Arnold Thornely |
Architectural style(s) | Neo-Georgian style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Powys County Council Offices |
Designated | 17 October 2008 |
Reference no. | 87576 |
The Montgomeryshire County Offices (Welsh : Neuadd Maldwyn) is a municipal building in Severn Street, Welshpool, Powys, Wales. The structure, which was the headquarters of Montgomeryshire County Council, is a Grade II listed building. [1]
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, Montgomeryshire County Council initially held its meetings in Montgomery, which was the traditional county town and the venue for the assizes. [2] By the 1920s, with the increasing responsibilities of council councils, council leaders decided to establish dedicated offices: the site they selected was open land on the north side of Severn Road. [3]
The new building was designed by Frank Gatley Briggs and Sir Arnold Thornely in the Neo-Georgian style, built in red brick with stone dressings and was completed in 1931. [4] The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto Severn Road. The central bay featured a doorway with a stone architrave flanked by brackets supporting a canopy; there was a stone panel and a sash window on the first floor and a parapet with two urns above. The other bays were fenestrated with sash windows. The building was considerably extended to the rear in the late 1930s and then again in 1959. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber at the rear of the building. [1]
Following local government re-organisation in 1974, the building became the offices of Montgomeryshire District Council. [5] However, following the creation of unitary authorities in 1996, it was relegated to the role of regional office for Powys County Council, the headquarters of which was based in Llandrindod Wells. [6]
In December 2018, Powys County Council decided that the building had become too expensive to maintain and that it was surplus to requirements, [7] and, in May 2019, the council decided to sell it to Clwyd Alyn Housing Association for conversion into flats for older people. [8] Following a local consultation, during which some residents expressed concern that the project only catered for a single age group, [9] the housing association secured planning consent for the creation of a 65-room residential care facility on the site in spring 2021. [10] [11] Contractors started on site with a programme of works to restore, convert and extend the building in summer 2021. [12]
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham to the north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown, and the administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells.
Until 1974, Montgomeryshire was an administrative county in mid Wales, later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, which in turn was named after one of William the Conqueror's main counsellors, Roger de Montgomerie, who was the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.
Radnorshire was an administrative county in mid Wales, later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales and from 1974 to 1996 a district. It covered a sparsely populated area, and was bounded to the north by Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, to the east by Herefordshire, to the south by Brecknockshire and to the west by Cardiganshire.
Welshpool is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is four miles from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The community, which also includes Cloddiau and Pool Quay, has a population of 6,664, with the town having 5,948. There are many examples of Georgian architecture within the town. Powis Castle is located to the north.
Llanidloes is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire, Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third largest settlement in Montgomeryshire, after Newtown and Welshpool.
Mid Wales, or Central Wales, is a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd covered the unitary authority areas of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionnydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC. The Wales Spatial Plan defines a region known as "Central Wales" which covers Ceredigion and Powys.
The Central Wales Football League(formerly the Mid Wales Football League) is a football league in Wales at tier four of the Welsh Football pyramid, run by the Central Wales Football Association. The league consists of two regionally based divisions - a Northern Division and a Southern Division. The league offers a promotion route to the Football Association of Wales administered tier three Ardal Leagues. Relegation is possible to the relevant tier five level leagues in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion and Montgomeryshire.
The District of Montgomeryshire or Montgomery was one of three local government districts of the county of Powys, Wales, from 1974 until 1996. The district had an identical area to the previous administrative county of Montgomeryshire. The district was abolished in 1996, with Powys County Council taking over its functions.
Powys County Council is the local authority for Powys, one of the 22 principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall in Llandrindod Wells.
The Abbey of Strata Marcella was a medieval Cistercian monastery situated at Ystrad Marchell on the west bank of the River Severn near Welshpool, Powys, Wales.
Forden is a village near Welshpool in Powys, Wales, formerly in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. It forms part of the community of Forden with Leighton and Trelystan with the neighbouring settlements of Trelystan, Leighton and Kingswood.
Llandyssil is a village in the community of Abermule with Llandyssil, in Powys, Wales, in the traditional county of Montgomeryshire. It is about two miles from the town of Montgomery.
Manafon is a small rural community located in the hills of Montgomeryshire, the Northern part of the Welsh county of Powys. The Parish focuses on the valley of the River Rhiew that runs west to east into the River Severn". The community of Manafon consists of "two main villages within about a mile of one another, Manafon and New Mills. The remainder of the population lives in scattered farms and dwellings and in the small rural settlement of The Green."
County Hall is a municipal building in Llandrindod Wells, Wales. It is the headquarters of Powys County Council.
The Shire Hall is a municipal structure in Broad Street, Presteigne, Powys, Wales. The building incorporates a well-preserved courtroom and a museum known as "the Judge's Lodging". Once the judicial centre for Radnorshire, is a Grade II* listed building.
Llanidloes Town Hall is a municipal building in Great Oak Street, Llanidloes in Powys, Wales. The structure, which is the meeting place of Llanidloes Town Council as well as the home of the Llanidloes Museum and the Llanidloes Public Library, is a Grade II listed building.
Welshpool Town Hall, is a municipal building in Broad Street, Welshpool, Powys, Wales. The structure, which is the meeting place of Welshpool Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Llandrindod Wells Library, is located in The Gwalia, which is a municipal building on Ithon Road, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales. The structure, which was the headquarters of Radnorshire District Council, is now a customer service point for Powys County Council, and also features a public library. The building is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in Temple Street, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales. The structure, which accommodates the offices of Llandrindod Wells Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament, first contested at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.