Y Gaer (cultural hub)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from )

Y Gaer (cultural hub)
Fenced-off Greek Revival Style building in Brecon (geograph 6197872).jpg
Y Gaer
LocationGlamorgan Street, Brecon
Coordinates51°56′46″N 3°23′22″W / 51.9462°N 3.3895°W / 51.9462; -3.3895Coordinates: 51°56′46″N 3°23′22″W / 51.9462°N 3.3895°W / 51.9462; -3.3895
Built1843
ArchitectThomas Henry Wyatt and David Brandon
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical style
Websitewww.ygaerpowys.org.uk
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameBrecknock Museum
Designated16 January 1952
Reference no.7116
Y Gaer (cultural hub) is located in Powys
Y Gaer (cultural hub)
Shown in Powys

Y Gaer (English: The Fortress) is a municipal structure in Glamorgan Street, Brecon, Powys, Wales. The complex, which includes a museum, an art gallery and a library and incorporates a structure which was once the shire hall for Brecknockshire, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

History[]

The original shire hall building was commissioned by the justices as accommodation for the quarter sessions and for the regular assizes.[2][3] It was designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt and David Brandon in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1843.[1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing the corner of Bulwark and Danygaer Road; the central section of three bays featured a full height tetrastyle portico with Doric order columns supporting an entablature inscribed with the words "Victoria Regina MDCCCXLII", as well as a frieze with triglyphs and a modillioned pediment.[1] The outer bays contained single-storey blocks with three-light windows.[1] Internally, the principal room was the courtroom.[1]

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it became necessary to establish a meeting place for the newly formed Brecknockshire County Council and facilities in the shire hall were identified for this purpose.[4] The shire hall continued to host court hearings until 1971[3] and to host meetings of the county council until it was abolished in 1974.[5]

The Brecknock Museum, which had been established in an old chapel further to the west along Glamorgan Street in 1928,[6][7] moved into the vacant shire hall in 1974.[8] Highlights of the collection included a tombstone of a young cavalryman called Candidus, found at Y Gaer, a local roman fort.[9]

After funding had been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a major programme of works to create a new cultural hub for the area was initiated in August 2016. The works, which were carried out by Kier Group at a cost of £14 million,[10][11][12] included the refurbishment of the shire hall, the creation of a new art gallery and the construction of a new library building for Brecon Library which relocated from Ship Street. The complex was named Y Gaer to recall the name of the local Roman fort.[13] The works were completed in December 2019.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cadw. "Brecknock Museum (7116)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ The Law Times Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, The Privy Council and The Court of Appeal. Vol. 28. Butterworth. 19 July 1873. p. 698.
  3. ^ a b "Part of the reconstructed Brecon Assize court of 1880". Gathering the Jewels. Archived from the original on 1 October 2005. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Brecknockshire County Council". South Wales Daily News. 8 February 1889. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Brecknockshire County Council". Gwent Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ Cadw. "The Old Museum (6892)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  7. ^ Foster, Janet; Sheppard, Julia (2014). British Archives: A Guide to Archive Resources in the UK. Palgrave. p. 68. ISBN 978-1349118144.
  8. ^ "About the Museum & Art Gallery". Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  9. ^ "The Maiden stone from Brecon Gaer (Roman fort), 1809". Gathering the Jewels. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Kier Group cash call prompts Powys councillors' concern". BBC. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Y Gaer: Brecon cultural scheme investigation to resume". BBC. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Y Gaer project report highlights knowledge and experience". Powys County Times. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  13. ^ "The Maiden stone from Brecon Gaer (Roman fort), 1809". Gathering the Jewels. peoplescollectionwales.co.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Brecon museum and library complex Y Gaer to open in December". BBC. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
Retrieved from ""