Summary
The Montgomeryshire County Offices (Welsh: Neuadd Maldwyn) is a municipal building in Severn Street, Welshpool, Powys, Wales. The structure, which was the headquarters of Montgomeryshire County Council, is a Grade II listed building.[1]
| County Offices | |
|---|---|
| Native name Neuadd Maldwyn | |
 County Offices | |
| Location | Severn Road, Welshpool |
| Coordinates | 52°39′29″N 3°08′33″W / 52.6580°N 3.1424°W |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Frank Gatley Briggs and Arnold Thornely |
| Architectural style(s) | Neo-Georgian style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Powys County Council Offices |
| Designated | 17 October 2008 |
| Reference no. | 87576 |
  Shown in Powys | |
History edit
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, Montgomeryshire County Council initially held its meetings in Montgomery, which was the traditional county town and the venue for the assizes.[2] By the 1920s, with the increasing responsibilities of council councils, council leaders decided to establish dedicated offices: the site they selected was open land on the north side of Severn Road.[3]
The new building was designed by Frank Gatley Briggs and Sir Arnold Thornely in the Neo-Georgian style, built in red brick with stone dressings and was completed in 1931.[4] The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto Severn Road. The central bay featured a doorway with a stone architrave flanked by brackets supporting a canopy; there was a stone panel and a sash window on the first floor and a parapet with two urns above. The other bays were fenestrated with sash windows. The building was considerably extended to the rear in the late 1930s and then again in 1959. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber at the rear of the building.[1]
Following local government re-organisation in 1974, the building became the offices of Montgomeryshire District Council.[5] However, following the creation of unitary authorities in 1996, it was relegated to the role of regional office for Powys County Council, the headquarters of which was based in Llandrindod Wells.[6]
In December 2018, Powys County Council decided that the building had become too expensive to maintain and that it was surplus to requirements,[7] and, in May 2019, the council decided to sell it to Clwyd Alyn Housing Association for conversion into flats for older people.[8] Following a local consultation, during which some residents expressed concern that the project only catered for a single age group,[9] the housing association secured planning consent for the creation of a 65-room residential care facility on the site in spring 2021.[10][11] Contractors started on site with a programme of works to restore, convert and extend the building in summer 2021.[12]
References edit
- ^ a b Cadw. "Powys County Council Offices (87576)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Vaughan-Thomas, Wynford; Llewelyn, Alun (1974). The Shell Guide to Wales. London: Michael Joseph. p. 339.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Jones, Ellyw (19 May 2021). "Serenity House". University of South Wales. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "No. 50640". The London Gazette. 29 August 1986. p. 11349.
- ^ "County Buildings, Llandrindod Wells". History Points. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Powys: Neuadd Maldwyn could become Care Facility". Powys County Times. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Neuadd Maldwyn conversion to cost £11.59m". My Welshpool. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Neuadd Maldwyn: Elderly flats plan queried by residents". BBC. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Neuadd Maldwyn to be handed over". My Welshpool. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "The Welsh Government will not call in Neuadd Maldwyn Extra Care plans". Shropshire Star. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Inside historic Welshpool building in redevelopment". Powys County Times. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.