The administrative headquarters of English, Welsh and Scottish regional government is (or was - some have acquired different uses) the Shire Hall or the County Hall. These usually date from the eighteenth, nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Monmouth's Shire Hall is quite a typical example. It is an imposing Baroque-style limestone building of 1724 - quite a late date for this particular look - that was built on the site of its 1571 predecessor. The architect of the main elevation was Fisher of Bristol. Work in 1828 by Edward Haycock remodelled the courtrooms and added rear stairs. The Shire Hall lost its purpose in 1974 when the county of Gwent was created and the courts were moved to Abergavenny. The building hosts Monmouth Town Council and is currently in the process of accommodating the exhibits of the town's museum which was formerly housed in the old market hall of 1837-9.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Nikon Z 5
