Masonic Hall, Monmouth

Masonic Hall
Masonic Hall on Monk Street
General information
Architectural style	Classical
Location	Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales
Address	Monk Street
Coordinates	51°48′52″N 2°42′48″W / 51.8145°N 2.7132°W / 51.8145; -2.7132Coordinates: 51°48′52″N 2°42′48″W / 51.8145°N 2.7132°W / 51.8145; -2.7132
Completed	1846 (1846)
Owner	Loyal Monmouth Lodge 457
Design and construction
Architect	George Vaughan Maddox
Designations	Grade II Listed

The Masonic Hall is a grade II listed building on Monk Street in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was designed by architect George Vaughan Maddox. The building is believed to mark the site of Monk's Gate, part of the original defences of the town of Monmouth. Before its 1846 conversion to the Masonic Hall, the building served as the Monk Street Theatre. After more than 150 years of housing the Loyal Monmouth Lodge No. 457, the Masonic Hall sustained fire and smoke damage from suspected arson. The Lodge of Freemasons housed in the building is the oldest surviving Masonic Lodge in Monmouthshire.

The Masonic Hall (pictured) is a 19th-century, grade II listed building on Monk Street in Monmouth. It was designed by George Vaughan Maddox (1802–1864), son of James Maddox, also a Monmouth architect and builder. The Masonic Hall was constructed in 1846. Nine years earlier, the architect had used a similar design for the Monmouth Methodist Church on St James' Street, a grade II* listed building, and one of 24 blue plaque buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail. The Masonic Hall has a classical facade and a slate roof. The two-storey building's façade has five windows, which are asymmetrically positioned, two on the left and three on the right, and features a sixth, tall, round-headed window, which is centrally positioned over the main door. The building's exterior walls are roughcast. The Masonic symbol of square and compasses is visible over each of the two symmetrically positioned side doors.

A curved wall to the right of the entrance to the Masonic Hall is thought to indicate the site of a portion of Monk's Gate. The gate, shown on the 1610 map of Monmouth (pictured) by cartographer John Speed, was a component of the Monmouth town walls and defences that were constructed circa 1300. While the gates of the town outlasted the walls themselves, Monk's Gate was removed in 1710. The building on that site in the early 19th century was occupied by the Monk Street Theatre from 1838 to 1844. It was converted to the Masonic Hall by Maddox in 1846, and given a completely new façade. However, the interior maintains a considerable amount of its original identity as a theatre. In February 2012, BBC News reported that architect Rob Firman had completed a project to visit and document each theatre and performance building in South Wales. He reported that the Monk Street Theatre had been converted to another use, as had been 28 other venues.