Shire Hall, Monmouth

Shire Hall
Shire Hall, Monmouth
General information
Architectural style	Baroque
Location	Agincourt Square
Town or city	Monmouth
Country	Wales
Coordinates	51°48′43″N 2°42′55″W / 51.811973°N 2.715404°W / 51.811973; -2.715404Coordinates: 51°48′43″N 2°42′55″W / 51.811973°N 2.715404°W / 51.811973; -2.715404
Completed	1724 (1724)
Cost	£1,700
Design and construction
Architect	Philip Fisher, Bristol

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.

The current building was erected in 1724, and is at least the fourth building on the site. It had earlier been the site of an Elizabethan court built in 1536, which in turn was replaced in 1571 by a timber-framed construction. The timbers from the original building were used in the construction of the Shire Hall, which provided an open trading area on the ground floor with rooms above. The building, described in Buildings of Wales as "a mighty affair", is constructed of Bath stone ashlar and was designed by a little-known architect, Philip Fisher (d. 1776) of Bristol at a cost of £1700. The Courts of Assize were transferred to the building in 1725, with the court room itself located on the first floor above the open arches which were used as a market area. The clock in the pediment was made by Richard Watkins in 1765.