| Tonypandy Town Hall | |
|---|---|
| Native name Neuadd y Dref Tonypandy (Welsh) | |
 The building in September 2017 | |
| Location | De Winton Street, Tonypandy |
| Coordinates | 51°37′25″N3°27′25″W / 51.6237°N 3.4569°W |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
  Shown in Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
Tonypandy Town Hall (Welsh : Neuadd y Dref Tonypandy) is a building located on De Winton Street in Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The structure is currently in residential use as private flats.
The building was commissioned by a group of local businessmen for use as a theatre. The site they selected was a small valley in which the Clydach brook flowed underground through a culvert, just to the west of the point at which it flowed into the River Rhondda Fawr. [1] [2]
The building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in rubble masonry and was officially opened as the Theatre Royal in 1892. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto De Winton Street. The central bay contained a segmental headed opening with voussoirs and a keystone flanked by a pair of segmental headed casement windows and, beyond that, two doorways. The first floor was fenestrated by three square headed casement windows and the second floor was fenestrated by three round headed casement windows, all framed by three arches spanning the first and second floors. The building was surmounted by an open pediment with an oculus in the tympanum. Below the oculus, there was a pair of plaques inscribed "18 Town Hall 92", suggesting the building was used as a public meeting place from an early stage. Internally, the principal room was the main auditorium, which featured a proscenium arch. [3]
The theatre was popular at the turn of the 20th century, and one of the performers was the comic actor, Charlie Chaplin, in 1901. [4] [5] [6] In the wake of the Tonypandy riots in November 1910, a public meeting was held in the building at which a socialist speaker, Harry Quelch, spoke of his support for the striking miners. [7]
In 1912, the building was remodelled to serve as a cinema, operated by Sam Duckworth and W. E. Willis. The conversion work involved the installation of new staircases. [8] It closed in 1918, but reopened in 1922 under new ownership, closing in 1959. [9] By 1966, the building remained vacant and disused, and was being offered for sale. [10]
The building was then converted for multiple use with council offices on the ground and first floors, a snooker club on the second floor, and a nightclub in the basement. [11] By 1992, a restaurant, the Shenshaw Tandoori, had been established on part of the ground floor, [12] and, by 2010, the snooker club had closed, but the building contained a shopping arcade with a variety of small retail units. [13] In 2016, the building was converted into 18 flats and five shops. [11]
Rhondda Cynon Taf is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff and Ely valleys, plus several towns and villages away from the valleys.
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Tonypandy is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the town was the scene of the 1910 Tonypandy riots.
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Rhondda was a constituency in Wales in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented since its 1974 recreation by the Labour Party.
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Ton Pentre is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of Ystradyfodwg was named after the church at Ton Pentre. Ton Pentre is, perhaps, best known for an event in 1924, when the Duke of York played a round of golf with Trade Unionist Frank Hodges.
Clydach Vale is a village in the community of Cwm Clydach, northwest of Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for its situation on the Nant Clydach, a tributary of the River Rhondda. The village is deemed part of the Tonypandy built-up area by the Office for National Statistics and comes under the Tonypandy post town.
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Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council headquarters are at the Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd.
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Penderyn is a rural village in the Cynon Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, located near Hirwaun.
Rhondda Cynon Taf is a county borough in South Wales. It is located to the north-west of Cardiff and covers an area of 424 km2 (164 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 237,500.
Cwm Clydach is a community and electoral ward to the northwest of Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community and ward covers the valley of the Nant Clydach, which includes the cojoined villages of Clydach Vale and Blaenclydach.
Mountain Ash Town Hall is a municipal structure in Ffrwd Crescent, Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Mountain Ash Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Pontypridd Market and Town Hall is a historic building located on Market Street, Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The structure, which contains a large auditorium which is currently derelict, was built in two parts both of which are Grade II listed buildings.
The Municipal Buildings is a municipal building located on Gelliwastad Road, Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The structure, which is currently used as a register office, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Town Hall is a municipal building located on the High Street in Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The structure, which is currently used as a coffee shop, is a Grade II listed building.