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Guildhall, Wrexham

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Coordinates: 53°02′51″N 2°59′38″W / 53.04747°N 2.99387°W / 53.04747; -2.99387
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Guildhall
Neuadd y Dref (Welsh)
The building's main entrance, fronting Llwyn Isaf field.
Map
General information
Architectural styleRed brick and Neo-Georgian
AddressThe Guildhall, Wrexham LL11 1AY
Coordinates53°02′51″N 2°59′38″W / 53.04747°N 2.99387°W / 53.04747; -2.99387
Construction started1959
Construction stopped1961
Opened25 May 1961
Renovated1980−1981
OwnerWrexham Borough Council (1961–1974)
Wrexham Maelor Borough Council (1974–1996)
Wrexham County Borough Council (1996–)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Stephenson, Young & Partners

The Guildhall (Welsh: Neuadd y Dref; lit. 'Town Hall') 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.[3][4]

Architecture and history

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The Guildhall is located on the grounds where the mansion house Ypsytty (or Ysbyty) Ucha (Welsh for 'Upper Hospital') 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.[5][6] 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.[6]

Rhosddu Road entrance of the building.

The current building was commissioned to replace the Old Guildhall in what was Guildhall Square, between Henblas Street and Lambpit Street.[7] The new building was built between 1959 and 1961 and was opened by Princess Alexandra on 25 May 1961.[8]

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.[9][10] The building cost £150,000 (equivalent to £3.7 million in 2023[11]). It is surrounded with flowerbeds that have been described as a "notable addition to the amenities of the town".[12] 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.[13] It was partly extended between 1980 and 1981.[10]

Political activity

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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.[14][15]

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[16][17] and a 2022 rally for Welsh independence.[18]

Other uses

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Ceremonies for appointing mayors of Wrexham are held in the building,[19] as are other ceremonies such as for awarding the title "Freeman of Wrexham".[20] The Guildhall is used as a wedding venue,[21] and is lit up to mark special occasions.[22] For a few months in 2023, it housed Contact Wrexham, the council's in-person support office.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Miller, Jan (2005). A Country Diary for North Wales. Troubador Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 9781905237357.
  2. ^ Mann, Petra (23 January 2014). "Sale of school playing fields to make money for cash-strapped Wrexham Council labelled 'outrageous'". North Wales Live. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  3. ^ "No. 46366". The London Gazette. 8 October 1974. p. 8559.
  4. ^ "No. 54317". The London Gazette. 15 February 1996. p. 2349.
  5. ^ "Wrexham Town Walk : Llwyn Isaf". Wrexham County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012.
  6. ^ a b Ebsworth, David (2023). Wrexham Revealed: A Walking Tour with Tales of the City’s History. Compact Cymru. Wrexham Carnival of Words. Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 9781845245245.
  7. ^ "A History of the Bomb site – "Wrexham History"". Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Guildhall, Llwyn Isaf, Wrexham, North Wales". www.richardkingsystems.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  9. ^ Hatherley, Owen (7 April 2022). Modern Buildings in Britain: A Gazetteer. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141998312. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Guildhall, Queen Street (23380)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  11. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Historic Old Library building on Queen's Square to be sold off by Wrexham Council". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  13. ^ "New Guildhall frontage a 'security measure' and to reduce anti-social behaviour". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. ^ Live, North Wales (20 October 2011). "MPs clash over employment policies at Welsh Grand Committee meeting in Wrexham". North Wales Live. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Welsh Grand Committee To Meet In Wrexham". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Wrexham's city status bid plan opposed by protesters". BBC News. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Rally against city status bid to be held on Saturday". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Welsh independence: Thousands march through Wrexham". BBC News. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Wrexham Mayor Unveiled At Guildhall Ceremony". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Rob and Ryan set for Freedom of City award at Civic ceremony in Guildhall on Monday". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Daughter 25 minutes late for mum's wedding in Wrexham due to parking chaos". The Leader. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  22. ^
  23. ^ "Contact Wrexham to move from Lord Street from next week". The Leader. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
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