Municipal Buildings

Municipal Buildings

A Baroque municipal building of two storeys with an attic storey. The walls are constructed of coursed rubble with pale freestone dressings, and the roof is of slate with mansard profile to the side elevations and gable parapets. The main front is symmetrical, comprising two storeys and three bays, and is distinguished at the top by an octagonal tapered timber bellcote with slate hung to the base and a weathervane above. A high balustraded parapet featuring bulbous stone balusters sits above a dentil cornice. The end bays are emphasised by broad strips of freestone facing, ornamented to the top by blank escutcheons. Similar ornament is found on the pilasters dividing each bay. The first-floor windows lighting the council chamber are triple units with broad columns derived from the Ionic order. Below each of these are festooned and crowned rectangular panels. The ground floor contains low-slung semi-circular arches in the Market Hall style, of which the central arch springs from channel-rusticated piers. The main entrance and flanking windows are deeply recessed behind these arches, creating a tunnel-like forecourt. Double doors have a small-pane glazed tympanum with mullion and transom windows. Contemporary cast-iron railings span the outer arches with gates to the centre featuring a simple rounded top. The end sections have classical niche-like recesses characteristic of the architect's style, with segmental pediments, swagged edges to architraves, and curved ironwork balconies. The bracket bases contain fine sculptures of Prudentia to the left and Justitia to the right, both with foliage backdrops that lap over the ground-floor impost band. The sculptures are by J Dudley Forsyth of London. Unusually, the niches house winding staircases rather than sculpture.

The eleven-bay east elevation, facing Morgan Street, has asymmetrical end bays brought forward. The left end bay has scrolled ends to the coped gable above broad pilasters. A tiny attic window at the apex features a semi-circular pediment and broad architrave. In the upper storey, lighting the council chamber, is a Venetian window with Ionic derived columns and beaded small-pane glazing. On the ground floor is a broad segmental arched window with stepped keystones. The right end bay has a swept semi-circular gable with scrolled ends and pilasters similar to the left end bay. Below the segmental-headed attic window is a three-light transomed first-floor window with architrave, and a segmental ground-floor window similar to the left end. The nine bays between the ends have a slate hung attic above a mansard roof, with five pedimented four-light small-pane windows and a dentil cornice. Cross-frame small-pane windows to the first floor have moulded architraves and aprons. The ground floor has round-headed windows with stepped keystones and lugged and keyed architraves. The original design may have intended full-height openings here as the keystones continue down below the sills. Panelled doors with small-pane glazing to the end bays are beneath small bullseye windows.

The west elevation, facing the narrow Chapel Street, has similar asymmetrical end gables and other details in common with the opposite elevation, but comprises only six bays. It contains a pair of two-light windows in a continuous architrave with stepped keystones to the centre lighting the main staircase, with two further windows at pavement level.

The main entrance opens into a lobby with a ribbed and groin vaulted spinal corridor beyond. A stone staircase rises on the west side midway along. Eighteen-century style lugged doorcases throughout feature bracket cornices and pulvinated friezes. In the upper storey is a three-bay corridor leading to the main council rooms (council chamber, committee room and Mayor's parlour), which has a segmental plaster vault with Tuscan pilasters and is top lit by a glazed domical lantern in the central bay. Double half-glazed panel doors beneath a segmental pediment on consoles open to the exceptionally fine council chamber, which has a segmental vault and pilasters with armorial stained glass in the south and east windows and D-shaped seating. Beside this is the Mayor's parlour with elaborate plaster ceiling including deeply encrusted circular rib. A contemporary chimneypiece is retained in the committee room.

The main rooms retain original furniture, some of which is said to have been designed by the architect. The council chamber contains white marble busts of Lord Pontypridd by D Arthur Thomas, dated 1902, and of James Roberts by Goscombe John, dated 1908.