The Nelson Rooms, Monmouth

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The Nelson Rooms, Monmouth
The Nelson Rooms, Glendower St, Monmouth.jpg
The Nelson Rooms, Monmouth
Alternative names
General information
Address2 Glendower Street
Town or city Monmouth
Country Wales
Coordinates 51°48′41″N2°42′54″W / 51.8113°N 2.7150°W / 51.8113; -2.7150 Coordinates: 51°48′41″N2°42′54″W / 51.8113°N 2.7150°W / 51.8113; -2.7150
Design and construction
ArchitectBenjamin Lawrence
Designations Grade II Listed

The Nelson Rooms is a grade II listed building in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales. 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 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 that had been amassed by the baroness. The Nelson Museum moved to new quarters at the Market Hall in 1969. The former gymnasium and museum is now an apartment building.

Contents

History

Portrait of Lady Llangattock by H. Groves Lady Llangattock groves.jpg
Portrait of Lady Llangattock by H. Groves

The Nelson Rooms at 2 Glendower Street in Monmouth is a 19th-century, grade II listed building. [1] [2] 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. [1] [3] 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. [1] [4]

Lady Llangatock, née Georgiana Marcia Maclean, was the wife of John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock (1837–1912). Lord and Lady Llangattock were the parents of four children, including their youngest son Charles Stewart Rolls (1877–1910). [4] [5] Their son Charles co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited and was an aviation enthusiast. In 1910, he became the first Englishman to die in an aviation accident when his Wright biplane crashed at Bournemouth. [4] [6] 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 and Henry Allan Rolls, both died in 1916 during World War I. [4] [5]

Georgiana Rolls donated the Working Men's Gymnasium to the town of Monmouth in the late 19th century. In 1901, Kelly's Directory 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. [7] [8] 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. [8] While the connection of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson 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. [7] [9]

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. [1] [10] In 1934, the Misses F. and G. Thomas were the museum curators. [11] 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. [12] [13] 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. [10] [14]

Design

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson HoratioNelson1.jpg
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

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 on Monk Street. [1] [15] 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. [2] [12]

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, requesting permission to convert the listed building to three flats; approval was granted the following August. [16] [17] 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. [18] [19]

The building is situated with one elevation along Glendower Street and its gable end facing Agincourt Street. The 19th-century, two storey building has a first floor which is of substantially greater height than the ground floor. [1] It is constructed of red sandstone rubble, and has contrasting Bath Stone quoins and trim. The Glendower Street elevation features an oriel window with a castellated parapet and stone apron. [1] The Agincourt Street facade features a canted bay and another window with castellated parapet and apron. Three band courses run the length of the circumference of the building. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Monmouth Town in Monmouthshire, Wales

Monmouth is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Cardiff, and 113 miles (182 km) west of London. It is within the Monmouthshire local authority, and the parliamentary constituency of Monmouth. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8,877 in 2001. Monmouth is the historic county town of Monmouthshire although Abergavenny is now the county town.

John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock

John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, was a Victorian landowner, Conservative Party politician, socialite, local benefactor and agriculturalist. He lived at The Hendre, a Victorian country house north of Monmouth.

John Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock

John Maclean Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock was a British barrister and army Major.

The Hendre Historic country house in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Hendre, in Rockfield is the only full-scale Victorian country house in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales. The ancestral estate of the Rolls family, it was the childhood home of Charles Rolls, the motoring and aviation pioneer and the co-founder of Rolls-Royce. Constructed in the Victorian Gothic style, the house was developed by three major architects, George Vaughan Maddox, Thomas Henry Wyatt and Sir Aston Webb. It is located in the civil parish of Llangattock-Vibon-Avel, some 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of the town of Monmouth. Built in the eighteenth century as a shooting box, it was vastly expanded by the Rolls family in three stages during the nineteenth century. The house is Grade II* listed and is now the clubhouse of the Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club.

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 located in the old Market Hall in the town centre in Monmouth, a short distance from the River Monnow, Monmouth Castle and Agincourt Square.

Shire Hall, Monmouth

The Shire Hall in Agincourt Square, Monmouth, Wales, is a prominent Grade I listed building in the town centre. It was built in 1724, and was formerly the centre for the Assize Courts and Quarter Sessions for Monmouthshire. In 1839/40, the court was the location of the trial of the Chartist leader John Frost and others for high treason for their part in the Newport Rising. The building was also used as a market place. The Shire Hall is owned by Monmouthshire County Council and has audiovisual guides for visitors to Courtroom 1. It is currently used as a Tourist Information Centre and as the offices for Monmouth Town Council, and is open to the public in part.

John Etherington Welch Rolls

John Etherington Welch Rolls was a High Sheriff of Monmouthshire, art collector, Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace. Rolls was President of, and co-founded the Monmouth Show.

The Rolls Hall, Monmouth

The Rolls Hall, Whitecross Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire is a Victorian hall, now public library, donated to the town in celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee by John Rolls, the future Lord Llangattock. It is a Grade II listed building as of 8 October 2005, and is one of 24 buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.

Hyams 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 Monmouth Civic Society to buildings of especial historical and social interest, and features on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.

Mayor of Monmouth

The Mayor of Monmouth is an elected position given to a town councillor in Monmouth in Wales. The position dates back about 750 years.

Georgiana Rolls, Baroness Llangattock

Georgiana, Lady Llangattock,, born Georgiana Marcia Maclean and after her marriage termed Georgiana Marcia Rolls, was a socialite, benefactor and an enthusiast for Horatio Nelson and associated naval heroes. She was the wife of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, a Victorian landowner, Member of Parliament and agriculturalist. She and her husband lived at The Hendre, a Victorian country house north of Monmouth.

Rolls family

The Rolls family were substantial landowners and benefactors in and around Monmouth in south east Wales. Charles Stewart Rolls was the co-founder of the Rolls-Royce company. The ascent of the family to the aristocracy was through marriage.

Whitecross Street, Monmouth

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Kingsley House and Hendre House, Monmouth

Kingsley House and Hendre House are a pair of 19th-century, semi-detached houses on the North Parade section of Monk Street in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales. The grade II listed houses were designed by noted Monmouth architect and builder George Vaughan Maddox, who also designed at least two of the twenty-four blue plaque buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail, including the Market Hall and the Monmouth Methodist Church. Hendre House should be distinguished from The Hendre, the estate of the Rolls family.

The Grange, Monmouth

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Glendower Street, Monmouth

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Monmouth Police Station

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Nelson Rooms, Glendower Street, No. 2, Monmouth". coflein.gov.uk. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Nelson Rooms, Monmouth". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ↑ William Meyler Warlow (1899). A history of the charities of William Jones (founder of the "Golden lectureship" in London), at Monmouth & Newland. W. Bennett. p. 37. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Charles Stewart Rolls". nndb.com. Soylent Communications – NNDB (Notable Names Database) . Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 "A Famous Peer". The Straits Times. 26 October 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Charles Rolls". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Monmouth and Its Rich Past". Herefordshire Life. 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire 1901 – Monmouth". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. hosted by roots web. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Nelson Museum & Local History Centre". lonelyplanet.com. BBC – Lonely Planet. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Nelson Manuscripts at Monmouth Museum" (PDF). nationalarchives.gov.uk. Nelson Museum and Local History Centre. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire 1934" (PDF). liber-mortuorum. Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire 1934 (as re-printed on Liber Mortuorum). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  12. 1 2 "The New Market Hall fire, Monmouth, 1963". www.gtj.org.uk. Gathering the Jewels. Retrieved 30 May 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Monmouthshire". civictrustwales.org. Open Doors 2011 – European Heritage Days in Wales. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "Monmouth Museum". monmouthshire.gov.uk. Monmouthshire County Council. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Keith Kissack. "Nonconformity in Monmouth" (PDF). capeli.org.uk. The Chapels Heritage Society. p. 1997. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "Case File". idox.monmouthshire.gov.uk. Monmouthshire County Council. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "Monmouthshire County Council – Weekly List of Registered Planning Applications". monmouthshire.gov.uk. Monmouthshire County Council. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Monmouthshire County Council – Weekly List of Registered Planning Applications". monmouthshire.gov.uk. Monmouthshire County Council. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  19. ↑ "Monmouthshire County Council – Weekly List of Determined Planning Applications". monmouthshire.gov.uk. Monmouthshire County Council. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
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