Monmouth Public Library (formerly Rolls Hall)

Monmouth Public Library, formerly known as Rolls Hall, is a 19th-century building featuring a hall plan and a gable end facing the street, which forms its principal elevation. The structure is constructed from rusticated grey and buff sandstone ashlar on the ground floor, with roughly squared red sandstone rubble and ashlar dressings above, giving it a mild Jacobean character.

The building stands two storeys tall and has a three-bay central gable, with an additional bay on either side. The ground floor includes a central entrance with a carved stone doorway framed by paired plain pilasters, and there are 6 over 6 pane sash windows on either side. On the first floor, a large central triple window is set in a pilastered oriel, which is supported by large stone brackets. This window features a 6 over 1 pane sash flanked by 4 over 1 pane sashes. The cornice runs across the building, and the oriel is adorned with carved panels displaying the coats-of-arms of Monmouth and Lord Llangattock, the donor. Above, a wide gable features a central Jacobean-style element with a circular window surrounded by strapwork and pilaster finials, topped by a plain coped gable.

The left bay is slightly set forward and contains two 6 over 6 pane sashes on the ground floor and two 2 over 1 pane sashes above. It has balustraded parapets with ball finials at the corners, and above this is a lead spire with vents on each face and a weathervane at the apex. The right bay is canted forward and features tripartite sashes on both floors. The side elevation is much plainer and has been more altered, while the rear elevation was not seen during the survey.

Internally, the building has an auditorium with offices at the front and a stage with dressing rooms at the rear. The main spaces were observed during a resurvey in August 2004. The auditorium consists of five bays, with the stage in a sixth bay and a proscenium arch. The bays are separated by giant banded Ionic pilasters, and there are bands of plaster decoration crossing the ceiling on the beams, along with circular windows in the upper walls. The conversion to a public library has left the building largely unaltered, with an elaborate lighting system and shelving that can be easily removed.