Flint Town Hall

Last updated

Flint Town Hall
Native name
Neuadd y Dref Y Fflint
Flint Town Hall (geograph 5280867).jpg
Flint Town Hall
LocationMarket Square, Flint
Coordinates 53°15′00″N3°08′01″W / 53.2500°N 3.1337°W / 53.2500; -3.1337
Built1840
ArchitectJohn Welch
Architectural style(s) Gothic Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameTown Hall
Designated5 December 1972
Reference no.14891
Flintshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Flintshire

Flint Town Hall (Welsh : Neuadd y Dref Y Fflint) is a municipal structure in the Market Square, Flint, Flintshire, Wales. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Flint Town Council, is a Grade II listed building. [1]

Contents

History

View of the current town hall shortly after it was built in 1840 View of Flint town hall and market. To the Revd. W. Maddock Williams (cropped).jpg
View of the current town hall shortly after it was built in 1840

The first municipal building in Flint was a half timbered town hall which was completed in the early 16th century. [2] After the old building became dilapidated, civic leaders decided to demolish it and to erect a new town hall, financed by public subscription, in its place. [2]

The new building was designed by John Welch in the Gothic Revival style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £1,734 and was completed in February 1840. [3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the Market Square; the central bay, which was projected forward, originally featured an arched doorway on the ground floor; there was a Venetian window with a balcony and a wrought-iron balustrade on the first floor, and an archway, a stepped gable and a stone finial above. [1] The central bay was flanked by full-height castellated turrets. [1] The outer bays were represented by the side elevations of two lean-to wings. [1] Internally, the principal rooms were the council chamber, which featured a hammerbeam roof made from timbers recovered from the first town hall, and the mayor's parlour. [1] The mayor's parlour was decorated at the expense of one of the burgesses, Ross Mahon, by fifteen panels, painted by Joseph Hall and depicting the Fifteen Tribes of Wales. [1]

Flint was an ancient borough. Like most such boroughs it was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough. The town hall served as the borough council's headquarters. [4] The building also continued to be used for judicial purposes: both the county court and petty session hearings were held there. [2] Six stained glass windows, designed by a Mr Drewitt depicting the six monarchs who had granted the town its charters, were installed in the council chamber in 1886. [2] Representatives of the 384th (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery attended the town hall to receive the freedom of the borough in August 1947. [3]

When Flintshire County Council was established in 1889, it initially held its meetings in rotation between Mold, Rhyl and the town hall in Flint until the early twentieth century, before deciding to base itself solely in Mold. [5] [6]

The building continued to serve as the headquarters of the Flint Borough Council until 1966, when a new building called Guildhall was built at the corner of Chapel Street and Church Street. [7] [8] Following local government reorganisation in 1974, the new guildhall passed to the successor Delyn Borough Council. [9] The town hall became the meeting place of Flint Town Council, a lower-tier community council. [10] An extensive programme of refurbishment words, which included restoration of the façade of the building, to a design by Donald Insall Associates, was completed in 2015. [11]

A purple plaque commemorating the life of Eirene White, Baroness White, the former member of parliament for East Flintshire, was unveiled outside near the entrance on 10 June 2022. [12]

Works of art in the town hall include portraits by Thomas Leonard Hughes of King Richard II, [13] [lower-alpha 1] and of Sir Roger Mostyn, 1st Baronet. [14] Richard II surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke at Flint Castle in August 1399, promising to abdicate the throne if his life was spared, [15] while Mostyn defended Flint Castle on behalf of the Royalists against the besieging Parliamentary forces in August 1646 during the English Civil War. [16] There is also a painting by Hector Giacomelli of a scene from William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice . [17]

Notes

  1. ↑ The portrait of Richard II is based on a similar depiction of the king in Westminster Abbey. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flintshire</span> County in Wales

Flintshire is a county in the north-east of Wales. It has a maritime border with Merseyside along the Dee Estuary to the north, and land borders with Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. Connah's Quay is the largest town, while Flintshire County Council is based in Mold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flintshire (historic)</span> Historic county of Wales

Until 1974, Flintshire, also known as the County of Flint, was an administrative county in the north-east of Wales, later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint, Flintshire</span> Town and community in Flintshire, Wales

Flint is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee. It is the former county town of Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the community of Flint was 12,804, increasing to 12,953 at the 2011 census. The urban area including Holywell and Bagillt had a population of 26,442.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clwyd</span> Preserved county of Wales

Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mold, Flintshire</span> Welsh county town

Mold is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the county town and administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, as it was of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996. According to the 2011 UK census, it had a population of 10,058. A 2019 estimate puts it at 10,123.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conwy</span> Walled market town in Wales

Conwy, previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on the east bank. The town formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. The community, which also includes Deganwy and Llandudno Junction, had a population of 14,753 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mostyn</span> Village in Flintshire, Wales

Mostyn is a village and community in Flintshire, Wales, and electoral ward lying on the estuary of the River Dee, located near the town of Holywell. It has a privately owned port that has in the past had a colliery and ironworks and was involved in the export of commodities, and in present times services the offshore wind industry and ships the wings for the Airbus A380 which are manufactured at Broughton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flintshire County Council</span> Local government of Flintshire, Wales

Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delyn (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Delyn is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Rob Roberts, who was elected as a Conservative, but currently sits as an Independent following sexual harassment allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of Delyn</span> Former district of Clwyd, Wales

Delyn was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagillt</span> Human settlement in Wales

Bagillt is a large village and community in Flintshire, Wales. The village overlooks the Dee Estuary and is between the towns of Holywell and Flint. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918, increasing to 4,165 at the 2011 census. The community also includes the settlements of Coleshill, Walwen and Whelston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint Castle</span> Norman Welsh castle in ruins

Flint Castle in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.

This is a list of High Sheriffs of Flintshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowbridge Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Cowbridge, Wales

Cowbridge Town Hall is a public building in the High Street of Cowbridge in South Wales. The town hall, which is the meeting place for Cowbridge with Llanblethian Town Council, and also houses the town clerk's office, the committee rooms and the Cowbridge Museum, is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conwy Guildhall</span> Municipal Building in Conwy, Wales

Conwy Guildhall is a municipal structure in Rose Hill Street, Conwy, Wales. The guildhall, which is the meeting place of Conwy Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.

The North Wales Coast FA Junior Challenge Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from in North Wales who play in leagues administered and associated with the North Wales Coast Football Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holywell Town Hall</span> Municipal Building in Holywell, Wales

Holywell Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street in Holywell, Wales. The façade of the town hall, which is the only surviving part of the original structure, is a Grade II listed building.

The Flintshire Militia, later the Royal Flint Rifles was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in the Welsh county of Flintshire during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in all of Britain's major wars, and supplied many recruits to the Regular Army. After a short-lived merger with another Welsh militia regiment it became a battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps but was disbanded in 1889.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cadw. "Town Hall (14891)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Flint". Slater's Directory of North and Mid Wales. 1895. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Town Hall". Flint Through The Ages. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Flint MB". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "First meeting of the Flintshire County Council". Rhyl Record and Advertiser. 6 April 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2022. ...two meetings be held at Mold, and the other two at Flint and Rhyl alternately... carried, 20 voting for and 17 against...
  6. ↑ "Conservatories of the Fishery District of the Rivers Elwy and Clwyd and their several tributaries". Rhyl Journal. 22 December 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 5 November 2022. ...at a Quarterly Meeting of the Flintshire County Council, held at the Town Hall, Flint, in the County of Flint, on Wednesday, the 12th day of December, 1900...
  7. ↑ "Flint's new Guildhall". Municipal Journal: 151. 20 January 1967. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "Pamphlet issued at the opening ceremony of the New Guildhall, Flint". JISC Archives Hub. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN   0-10-547072-4.
  10. ↑ "All Councillors". Flint Town Council. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Flint Town Hall". Donald Insall Associates. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Purple plaque to honour one of the first female MPs for Wales to unveiled in Flint today". Deeside.com. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Hughes, Thomas Leonard. "Richard II (1367–1400)". Art UK. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Hughes, Thomas Leonard. "Colonel Sir Roger Mostyn, the Gallant Defender of Flint Castle (1643)". Art UK. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Richard II, King of England (1367–1400)". Luminarium.org. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Flint Castle". Castles Forts Battles. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Giacomelli, Hector. "'The Merchant of Venice', Act II, Scene 8". Art UK. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.