12–16 Church Street, Monmouth

12–16 Church Street in Monmouth, Wales, is a row of three shop houses designed by the architect George Vaughan Maddox and constructed c. 1837. They form part of Maddox's redevelopment of the centre of Monmouth and stand on Church Street, to the rear of Maddox's Priory Street. The architectural historian John Newman has written that Maddox's work "gives Monmouth its particular architectural flavour" and Cadw describes the grouping of 12–16 Church Street as "the best preserved early 19th century shopfront in Monmouth."

12–16 Church Street
12–16 Church Street, from No.12
TypeShops / Houses
LocationMonmouth, Monmouthshire
Coordinates51.8128°N 2.7147°W / 51.8128; -2.7147
Builtc. 1837
ArchitectGeorge Vaughan Maddox
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical
Governing bodyPrivately owned
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: NOS.12,14 & 16 Church Street, Monmouth
Designated10 August 2005
Reference no.2253, 85030 & 85038
Location of 12–16 Church Street in Monmouthshire
Main article: Church Street, Monmouth

History

In the early 19th century, the main thoroughfare out of Monmouth towards London was along Church Street,[1] a relatively narrow street now pedestrianised. Increasing traffic on the street led to a number of accidents and demands for the construction of a new road.[2] At the same time, developments at the Shire Hall in Agincourt Square meant that the market, previously located there, required new accommodation.[3] In 1834, the Town Council offered a prize for a redevelopment scheme, which was won by George Vaughan Maddox.[2] Maddox, the son of another Monmouthshire architect, John Maddox, had already established a reputation within the town.[4] Maddox's proposals envisaged a new road, described by John Newman as, "a remarkably early inner bypass",[5] that would run north of Church Street along the west bank of the River Monnow. This would allow the redevelopment of Church Street and here Maddox constructed the block comprising 12–16, with an entry into White Swan Court[6] CADW is of the view that the building has probably held a dispensary since the time of its construction, a period of 180 years.[7]

Description

Numbers 12–16 Church Street form a single block of three storeys and four bays.[6] The building backs onto Priory Street and has an arched entranceway into White Swan Court.[8] Architectural elaboration includes a "heavy" architrave and a cornice at the roofline.[6] The grouping is designated a Grade II* listed building,[8] the high listing for "its exceptional architectural interest as part of an important piece of early 19th century town planning in the Monmouth centre."[7]

Notes
  1. Heath 1804, p. unnumbered.
  2. Kissack 1975, p. 299.
  3. Kissack 1975, p. 298.
  4. Kissack 2003, p. 35.
  5. Newman 2000, p. 394.
  6. Newman 2000, p. 408.
  7. "Listed Buildings – Full Report". Cadw. 27 October 1965. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  8. British Listed Buildings Online. "Nos.12,14 & 16 Church Street, Monmouth". Britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2017.

Sources
gollark: Oh no. Did they do something *again*?
gollark: I'm not really sure why you would want them except as historical curiosity.
gollark: It wasn't cool. It was very hot, so much so that Intel tried to make some new board standard to improve cooling.
gollark: IIRC the actual dies generally aren't actually that big, so they just pick a convenient size.
gollark: I believe Micron is offering stuff based on the same technology, and there's a bunch of other nonvolatile storage things being worked on.
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