Tuesday 19 January 2016

THE TOWN HALL


This illustration is from a publication named 'The Builder' dated 26th December 1874. It shows an advance drawing of the present Rhyl Town Hall (opened 1876) by architects Wood & Turner. Note how the clock tower at the front isn't leaning forwards!

Years ago somebody told me the first town hall was in High Street and made of wood, later replaced by the brick-built Town Assembly Rooms now No. 78 High Street.

No. 78 became a pub named the Old Town Hall and eventually a shop named Old Town Hall Stores (picture from Rhyl History Club):

pub

The building still exists. That distinctive circle on the gable is still there. But I have never been convinced that this was really a town hall. More likely it was just a place for public meetings.

No, our municipal offices were on the present town hall site and behind them a market. These were swept away by Wood & Turner's Town Hall with a more formal Market Hall at the rear.

The text below from 'The Builder' provides additional points of interest.
Please click on it to see more clearly:


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These references are added here for indexing purposes: Rhyl market, fish market, soup kitchen, fire station, Town Hall bazaar, Eyrton Denbigh, North South Wales Bank, corn exchange, Denbigh stone, Penmaenmawr stone, Wrexham stone, J Rhydwen Jones.

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6720. Additional image added in July 2020:

This amateur snapshot shows that the Old Town Hall Stores was in the 1990s called the High Street Food Hall.
At present (2020) it is Mark Webber's betting shop and amusement arcade.

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