12–16 Church Street, Monmouth

Row of three shop houses, circa 1837, by George Vaughan Maddox, in Monmouth, Wales November 2019 12–16 Church Street 12-16 Church Street, Monmouth.jpg 12–16 Church Street, from No.12 Shops / Houses Wales Monmouthshire yes 51.8128 -2.7147 inline,title Monmouth, Monmouthshire 1837 George Vaughan Maddox Neoclassical Privately owned Grade II* listed building NOS.12,14 & 16 Church Street, Monmouth 10 August 2005 2253, 85030 & 85038 Wales 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 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." History In the early 19th century, the main thoroughfare out of Monmouth towards London was along Church Street,Heath 1804 unnumbered 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.Kissack 1975 299 At the same time, developments at the Shire Hall in Agincourt Square meant that the market, previously located there, required new accommodation.Kissack 1975 298 In 1834, the Town Council offered a prize for a redevelopment scheme, which was won by George Vaughan Maddox.Kissack 1975 299 Maddox, the son of another Monmouthshire architect, John Maddox, had already established a reputation within the town.Kissack 2003 35 Maddox's proposals envisaged a new road, described by John Newman as, "a remarkably early inner bypass",Newman 2000 394 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 CourtNewman 2000 408 CADW is of the view that the building has probably held a dispensary since the time of its construction, a period of 180 years.2253 12, 14 and 16 Church Street II* 16 April 2022 Description Numbers 12–16 Church Street form a single block of three storeys and four bays.Newman 2000 408 The building backs onto Priory Street and has an arched entranceway into White Swan Court. Architectural elaboration includes a "heavy" architrave and a cornice at the roofline.Newman 2000 408 The grouping is designated a Grade II* listed building, the high listing for "its exceptional architectural interest as part of an important piece of early 19th century town planning in the Monmouth centre." Notes Sources Heath Charles Charles Heath (Monmouth) 1804 Historical and descriptive accounts of the ancient and present state of the town of Monmouth https://books.google.com/books?id=ghswAAAAYAAJ Charles Heath Monmouth 18491234 Kissack Keith Keith Kissack Monmouth: The Making Of A County Town https://books.google.com/books?id=tRYjAAAAMAAJ&q=Monmouth-the+making+of+a+county+town 1975 Phillimore Chichester 0-85033-209-5 Kissack Keith Keith Kissack Monmouth and its Buildings 2003 Logaston Press Woonton Almeley 1-904396-01-1 55143853 Newman John John Newman (architectural historian) The Buildings of Wales Gwent/Monmouthshire https://books.google.com/books?id=knRf4U60QjcC&dq=The+Buildings+of+Wales%3A+Gwent%2FMonmouthshire&pg=PA2 2000 Penguin London 0-14-071053-1 Category:History of Monmouth, Wales Category:Shops in the United Kingdom Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouth