The Old Town Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the N side of Castle Street some 170m NE of the castle.

History

Town Hall of 1867 for the ancient borough of Loughor, built to designs by Henry Davies of Llanelli, initially with meeting room upstairs, gaol cell and accommodation for policeman downstairs. An additional block for accommodation was added in matching style, perhaps by the same architect, in the later C19. Since converted to a single house.
The borough of Loughor was abolished in 1886, by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1883. It was of ancient but uncertain date, governed by a portreeve, 12 aldermen and burgesses.

Exterior

House, former town hall, rock-faced squared brown sandstone with tooled dressings of same stone and slate eaves roofs. Two storeys, 2-bay original building with one-bay matching addition to right. Rendered brick end stacks to original building, hipped roof with brick stack to addition. Addition has front wall slightly set back and correspondingly deeper flat eaves.
Three first floor horned 16-pane sashes over 3 ground floor square windows with 16-pane smaller sashes, all renewed in C20. Raised rusticated quoins at angles of original block and at right hand corner of addition, and similar window surrounds, the blocks rock-faced but with tooled edges. Ground floor windows have stone voussoirs and big keystones, upper windows have voussoirs under eaves. Stone sills. Raised stone plinth.
Left end wall has similar stone facing and arched window in gable with rusticated surround and C20 glazing bars. This is above first floor porch reached by external stone stair with simple iron railings. Paved landing with similar railings, flat-roofed open porch on 2 cast-iron columns, and 6-panel door with stone slab lintel into former council chamber. In base of stairs, facing road, C20 door in doorway with single slab lintel.
Rear of original range is roughly rendered rubble stone with 2 ground floor windows. Right end wall of addition in rendered with small 8-pane first floor sash. Clear building joint to added section to left. On street line is gateway to match facade with board door, single slab lintel and battlements.

Interior

Interior altered to house, not available for inspection. In 1975 it had ground floor prison cell remaining much in its original condition.

Reason for designation

Included as a small mid Victorian civic building retaining its character and of special historical interest as reminder of the ancient borough.