Guildhall, Wrexham Explained

Guildhall
Address:The Guildhall, Wrexham LL11 1AY
Start Date:1959
Stop Date:1961
Opened Date:25 May 1961
Architect:Stephenson, Young & Partners
Architectural Style:Red brick and Neo-Georgian
Owner:Wrexham Borough Council (1961–1974)
Wrexham Maelor Borough Council (1974–1996)
Wrexham County Borough Council (1996–)
Renovation Date:1980−1981
Mapframe-Zoom:16

The Guildhall (;) is a municipal building in Wrexham, Wales. It is located in the city centre alongside the Llwyn Isaf open space. It is the headquarters of Wrexham County Borough Council and is the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough,[1] [2] as it was of its predecessor Wrexham Maelor.

Architecture and history

The Guildhall is located on the grounds where the mansion house once stood, first recorded to be located here by 1700. The house later became known as Llwyn Isaf, whose name survives as the name of the field in front of the Guildhall.[3] [4] The house was purchased by the council in the early 1950s, and subsequently demolished to construct the modern Guildhall. The Guildhall's construction faced some opposition over fears its construction would lead to the destruction of the Llwyn Isaf field. There were earlier proposals after World War II to surface the area with tarmac and construct a bus station on the site instead.The current building was commissioned to replace the Old Guildhall in what was Guildhall Square, between Henblas Street and Lambpit Street.[5] The new building was built between 1959 and 1961 and was opened by Princess Alexandra on 25 May 1961.[6]

The building is in the Neo-Georgian style, to a design modelled on Stockholm City Hall by the architects Stephenson, Young & Partners. It has a red brick façade with three storeys of Georgian arched windows, a cantilevered gallery towards Llwyn Isaf, and a copper tower.[7] The building cost £150,000 (equivalent to £ million in). It is surrounded with flowerbeds that have been described as a "notable addition to the amenities of the town".[8] The frontage was modified in 2018 as a security measure, blocking off the front stairs but maintaining two ramps either side of the front of the building.[9] It was partly extended between 1980 and 1981.

Political activity

In October 2011, it held a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee of the House of Commons, the first to be held in Wales for 10 years.[10] [11]

As the centre of local government in Wrexham, protests and political rallies have been held outside the building, including a 2021 protest against the council's application for city status[12] [13] and a 2022 rally for Welsh independence.[14]

Other uses

Ceremonies for appointing mayors of Wrexham are held in the building,[15] as are other ceremonies such as for awarding the title "Freeman of Wrexham".[16] The Guildhall is used as a wedding venue,[17] and is lit up to mark special occasions. For a few months in 2023, it housed Contact Wrexham, the council's in-person support office.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Miller, Jan . A Country Diary for North Wales . Troubador Publishing . 2005 . 102. 9781905237357 .
  2. Web site: Mann . Petra . 2014-01-23 . Sale of school playing fields to make money for cash-strapped Wrexham Council labelled 'outrageous' . 2023-04-08 . North Wales Live . en.
  3. Web site: Wrexham Town Walk : Llwyn Isaf . https://web.archive.org/web/20120901150345/http://www.wrexham.gov.uk:80/english/heritage/wrexham_town_walk/llwyn_isaf.htm . 1 September 2012 . Wrexham County Borough Council.
  4. Book: Ebsworth, David . Wrexham Revealed: A Walking Tour with Tales of the City’s History . Carreg Gwalch . Wrexham Carnival of Words . 2023 . 9781845245245 . Compact Cymru.
  5. Web site: A History of the Bomb site – "Wrexham History" . 2023-04-08 . en-GB . 16 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220816161040/https://www.wrexham-history.com/a-history-of-the-bomb-site/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Guildhall, Llwyn Isaf, Wrexham, North Wales . 2023-04-08 . www.richardkingsystems.co.uk.
  7. Book: Hatherley, Owen . Modern Buildings in Britain: A Gazetteer . 7 April 2022 . Penguin UK . 9780141998312 . 8 April 2023.
  8. Web site: Historic Old Library building on Queen's Square to be sold off by Wrexham Council . 2023-04-08 . Wrexham.com . en.
  9. Web site: New Guildhall frontage a 'security measure' and to reduce anti-social behaviour . 2023-04-08 . Wrexham.com . en.
  10. Web site: Live . North Wales . 2011-10-20 . MPs clash over employment policies at Welsh Grand Committee meeting in Wrexham . 2023-05-19 . North Wales Live . en.
  11. Web site: Welsh Grand Committee To Meet In Wrexham . 2023-05-19 . Wrexham.com . en.
  12. News: 2021-12-04 . Wrexham's city status bid plan opposed by protesters . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-04-08.
  13. Web site: Rally against city status bid to be held on Saturday . 2023-04-08 . Wrexham.com . en.
  14. News: 2022-07-02 . Welsh independence: Thousands march through Wrexham . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-04-08.
  15. Web site: Wrexham Mayor Unveiled At Guildhall Ceremony . 2023-04-08 . Wrexham.com . en.
  16. Web site: Rob and Ryan set for Freedom of City award at Civic ceremony in Guildhall on Monday . 2023-04-08 . Wrexham.com . en.
  17. Web site: Daughter 25 minutes late for mum's wedding in Wrexham due to parking chaos . 2023-04-08 . The Leader . 7 May 2019 . en.
  18. Web site: Contact Wrexham to move from Lord Street from next week . 2023-04-08 . The Leader . 7 December 2022 . en.