Caerphilly Workmen's Hall and Institute

The Caerphilly Workmen's Hall and Institute is a large building dating from the early 20th century, constructed of red-brown brick with an artificial slate roof. It comprises a main entrance block facing west and a rear entrance block now providing access to a gymnasium.

The main entrance block is two storeys high and has a simple Classical style, featuring a parapet and four windows. Brick pilasters articulate the angles and flank the entrance, which is banded at ground floor level. A recessed Doric porch with two columns supports an entablature bearing the inscription "Caerphilly Workmen's Hall." A metal shutter covers the doorway, and the flanking ground and first floor windows have blank panels beneath. The ground floor windows have gauged brick heads, and foundation stones were laid on April 5, 1924. The windows now contain late 20th-century UPVC glazing. A frieze at high level consists of individual letters that read "Workmens Hall." A left-side entrance is accessed via brick pillars below the porch.

The auditorium block, with a pitched roof, runs at a slight angle to the main entrance block. The south side has six windows divided by pilaster strips, all now blocked with brick. The left bay of the south side now incorporates a fire escape with a cross-window below. A lantern ventilator is positioned on the roof. The rear entrance block is similar in style to the front, with two storeys and four windows, pilasters to angles, and a banded plinth. The first-floor windows retain original metal frame glazing. A left-side doorway, within casing and supported by brackets, leads to double panelled doors with overlight. Ground-floor windows are blocked with red brick. A foundation stone is located below the right window opening. A concrete panel between the pilasters at first-floor level displays “Caerphilly Workmens Hall and Institute” in relief. The north side of this block is divided into three bays by brick pilasters, with blocked window openings below and small casement windows above with quarries, designed to provide light for the library.

The octagonal lobby features walls of green tiles with black-and-white banding, a cornice with a Greek key frieze, and round arches leading to the auditorium. The right-hand arch provides access to stairs and a balcony with wooden panelling to the sides. The auditorium itself is in a Classical style, with a broad segmental arched ceiling, a Greek key pattern to the ribs, and a moulded cornice. The stage has a lower, flat ceiling, but the segmental arch above the stage front incorporates a decorative panel and a frieze of overlapping discs. Side friezes alternate grilles and decorative panels with bunches of fruit. Broad Doric pilasters alternate with shuttered windows at the base. The deeply curving balcony front is banded with a Greek key pattern and wreaths. The rear entrance leads to a lobby with glazed tiles and a door to the right, opening to the gymnasium. There are said to be stairs with a boarded dado, leading to a first-floor library with wooden lecterns for newspapers.