Shire Hall, Monmouth

Shire Hall is a former Court of Assizes and Quarter Sessions in the centre of Monmouth, South Wales. It is a Grade I listed, classically designed building in Agincourt Square at the top of Monnow Street. It serves as a focal point for the Monmouth community, offering weddings and meeting rooms, as well as local tourist information in the reception.

In 2011, the entire building was sympathetically refurbished to provide a modern facility which can accommodate Weddings, business meetings, Conferences, celebrations and exhibitions. All of this has been done whilst maintaining the integrity of this historically and architecturally important building. You will feel that you are in a modern, attractive space but will be constantly aware of the vast heritage that The Shire Hall offers.

The large rooms have also become an important part of Monmouth’s vibrant local community and hosts the local youth theatre group, various types of dance lessons, The Wye Valley artists and the Wyedean Embroiderers to name but a few.

Shire Hall was the scene of one of the most significant trials in British history when, in 1839/40, John Frost and other Chartists were tried for their involvement in the Chartist Riots in Newport. Courtroom 1 has been fully restored to how it looked in the 1840s and is fully interactive, allowing visitors to sit in the Judge’s chair and go down to the holding cells to experience first-hand the unpleasant conditions prisoners of the day had been subjected to.