The Shire Hall Stewards and Monmouthshire County Council joined in celebration this week after the Heritage Lottery Fund formally announced a Stage 1 pass of £3.1million towards the restoration of the magnificent Shire Hall in Monmouth. The funding was exclusively revealed by The Beacon just before Christmas, but has only just been confirmed. It has taken six years of work by the Council, supported by the Stewards, to get to this stage and further work is required to refine the application. This should be completed by the end of this year and work is expected to start on site at the beginning of 2008. Meanwhile, the building is open every weekday, afternoon, from 2.00 p.m. until 5.00 p.m., for the public to see the present state of the building. The Stewards Chairman, Richard Wills, believes the investment will be a boost to the town. He said "The restoration of the building will make it a focal point at the centre of the community, to be used by people from all the surrounding rural areas, and also visitors to the Wye Valley. "Part of the restoration project is the installation of a lift which will open up the building, including the historic Court room, where the Chartists were tried, the Council Chamber and the Henry V Room, to all members of the public". The total amount required for the project is £4.5 million, and the shortfall must be found from other funding grants, Town and County Councils and fund-raising by community groups. Plans for the proposed work can be seen displayed on the ground floor of the Shire Hall outside the Community Room. The Stewards Secretary, Barbara Wright, explained that fund raising started in March, 2003, when £1 tickets sold in the Tourist Information Centre and the Nelson Museum allowed visitors to see the Chartist Court and Henry V wallhanging inside Shire Hall. She said all the proceeds from the ticket are given to the Shire Hall Fund as contributions from the community. "At the present time, over £11,000 has been raised from ticket sales and donations, but we need to raise thousands of pounds more" she said. "We need as many people as possible to visit the building during the next year to help the Shire Hall Fund. Special out of hours party bookings can be made by contacting the Tourist information Centre". The Shire Hall Stewards were involved at every stage of the Lottery application, helping with research and surveys needed to show the interest from the Community. Any individual, organisation or group, wishing to join the Stewards are welcome to leave their contact details at the One Stop Shop, Tel: 01600 775200.
