Shire Hall Museum
The Shire Hall Museum in Monmouth is open 11.00 am to 4:00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays (holiday opening hours may vary). Admission is FREE.
To contact Shire Hall, please email Shirehall@monmouthshire.gov.uk or call 01600 775257. Follow Shire Hall, Monmouth on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with the latest events, offers and information.
Built in 1724, Shire Hall is Grade 1 listed and was formerly the location of the Assize Courts and Quarter Sessions for Monmouthshire. It is most famous for the 1839/40 trial of the Chartist leader John Frost and others for high treason during the Newport Rising.
Share your thoughts on our Shire Hall Museum Consultation! We’re inviting local communities to contribute ideas and themes for the stories our museum will tell. Starting in August 2024, we’ll begin developing the initial designs for the building layout, space allocation, and the overall look and feel of our future galleries. For more information and to have your say, click HERE.
What can I see and do now?
At Shire Hall you can find out about the events associated with the Newport rising through courtroom and cell displays and audio-visual guides. Staff have been working to increase the exhibitions and activities throughout the building and visitors can now see:
Ground floor
- Eddie Butler History of Monmouth video
- Children’s activities including colouring, puppet theatre and show
- Changing exhibitions
- A model of Monmouth town
First Floor
- Short film – 15 minute heritage of Monmouth
Courtroom 1
- Chartist video
- Dressing up
Courtroom 2
- Henry V tapestry
- Rockfield interactive
- Changing Temporary Exhibition
Judge’s room
A mockup of the judge prior to sitting in court
Public gallery
Sit above the courtroom and take in the atmosphere
Cells
Witness first-hand the environment that prisoners would have experienced
What is happening to the Nelson collection?
Monmouth is very rightly proud of its connections with Nelson and people have been asking us what is happening with it whilst it is not on display. We have been carrying out a programme of works on the collection, thanks to funding from Welsh Government and the Federation of Museums and Galleries of Wales, which include:
- rehousing the manuscript collection in conservation grade packaging.
- carrying out conservation work on the books
- working with an academic and the National Maritime Museum to carry out a significance assessment of our collection
- beginning a programme of work talking to groups to find out what stories they would like to see in the new displays
- compiling inventories of the Nelson Collection and inputting that information onto our computer database
- adding Nelson stories to our collections website https://www.monlifecollections.co.uk/
What are our plans?
Currently we are working to move Monmouth Museum and its collections into Shire Hall. This has been made possible thanks to a large grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The development phase of this project is taking place between August 2023 and February 2025. During this time, we have had two teams working on consultation and collections development, reviewing the stories and objects available to showcase the town’s rich history.
Keep in touch
We now have architects and museum design teams in place. They will build upon our consultation feedback to develop plans. Ultimately, this work will contribute to Monmouth having a newly developed museum in Shire Hall (with regular updates along the way), showcasing the town’s incredible local history and Nelson artefacts. For this, we will need the support of our communities and visitors and we hope that you will join us on this exciting journey.
For more information, keep an eye on the MonLife website, our social media pages or come and visit the Shire Hall to see our changing exhibitions.
This post is also available in: Welsh