Old Town Hall, Merthyr Tydfil
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Old Town Hall, Merthyr Tydfil by Jaggery as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Old Town Hall, Merthyr Tydfil
Image: © Jaggery Taken: 27 Feb 2019
Cadw records that the building is dated May 1896 on a foundation stone. Although Merthyr was for a time the largest town in Wales (its population was two and a half times that of Cardiff in 1851), it did not attain formal urban status until 1894, when an urban district council was established. The town hall is an immediate expression of that status, and quickly became the focal point for civic and political life in the town. It became customary for the results of parliamentary elections to be announced from its steps, and it was here in 1900 that the victory of J. Keir Hardie as the first Labour Member of Parliament in Britain is said to have been announced. His increased majority in the subsequent elections of 1906 and 1910 was announced from the balcony. The building was Grade II (star) listed in 1975.
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Image Location
Latitude
51.74749
Longitude
-3.377917