County Hall, Mold

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: 12 Feb 2019

There is something distinctly Soviet about this brutalist block towering over open countryside just outside Mold. Originally called the Shire Hall, it was very much a product of 1960s architectural thinking designed by county architect Robert Harvey and formally opened in 1968 by Princess Margaret. It brought together all the functions of the old Flintshire County Council under one roof and was no doubt seen as a vast improvement at the time by council employees. Subsequent local government reorganisation turned it into the headquarters of Clwyd County Council until Flintshire was recreated (with new boundaries and a smaller area) in 1994. Other buildings were erected on the site creating a 'county civic centre complex' - a campus comprising law courts, a library and theatre. More recently, with reduced staff numbers, consideration has been given to moving the council's administrative offices elsewhere - the cost of maintaining such a large and old fashioned building being seen as excessive for a relatively small local authority.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0