Cowbridge Town Hall

Cowbridge Town Hall is a public building in the South Wales market town of Cowbridge. It is the meeting place for Cowbridge with Llanblethian Town Council, and also houses the town clerk's office, administrative office, Cowbridge Museum and meeting rooms where public events are held.^[1]

Until 1830, the town council met at the Guild Hall, located in High Street.^[2] The Guild Hall was also a regular venue for the Quarter Sessions (law courts) which travelled around South Wales. The present town hall, a building dating back perhaps as far as the Elizabethan era, served as a prison or "House of Correction" until 1830,^[3] when it was converted into a town hall to replace the Guild Hall, which was demolished at that date.

In 1824 it was reported that "Plans and estimate of the expense attending the erection of a new Town Hall ... have been procured by the Revd. John Montgomery Traherne at his own expense".^[4] The new Town Hall was completed in 1830 under the direction of Isaiah Verity of Ash Hall, who in gratitude was made a Freeman of Cowbridge; the building retained the prison cells but no courts were ever held there. The money for the reconstruction was raised by public subscription. Local MP Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot made a large donation towards the building costs and was also awarded the freedom of the borough.

Eight of the original prison cells are still intact, six of which house the exhibits of Cowbridge Museum.^[5] The remainder of the building is used by the town council and for public events. The museum holds archaeological finds from Cowbridge and district, as well as displays on the later history of the town, including industrial and domestic artefacts, a photographic collection, and a small historical costume collection.

Cowbridge Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building (Cadw reference 13200).

References

Coordinates: 51°27′42″N 3°26′50″W / 51.4618°N 3.4471°W / 51.4618; -3.4471