Town Hall

Maesteg Town Hall stands in Talbot Street in the centre of Maesteg, a town in the Llynfi Valley. The building is a Grade II listed structure designed in the Queen Anne Revival style by Henry Harris of Cardiff. It was financed by public subscription with a £500 gift from the local MP, C. R. M. Talbot, and donations from miners who gave a day’s wages. The foundation stone was laid by Talbot in his role as Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan on 31 October 1880. The hall opened on 22 October 1881, with David Chadwick, chairman of the Llynfi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company, officiating. The town hall has played a part in local and national history. In April 1912, Emmeline Pankhurst addressed a suffrage rally inside the building. A lamp and fountain outside honour Dr William Hopkin Thomas, a local doctor and benefactor, designed by W. H. Rees and unveiled in 1900. Queen Mary attended a social services event there in April 1938. The actor Richard Burton performed as a child at an eisteddfod in 1939, and contralto Kathleen Ferrier appeared on 13 May 1944. Arnold Schwarzenegger competed in a bodybuilding contest in 1967. Today the town hall is a community hub after a £6 million refurbishment. The work, designed by Purcell Architecture, added a glass atrium and a café extension. Inside, seven paintings by local artist Christopher Williams remain on display. The main hall and upper floors now host events, classes and meetings. The clock tower and dome still mark the skyline above Market Square. The building links past events with present-day life in the town.