History

The Institute was built 1924-26, designed by John Owen of Wrexham and F.A.Roberts of Mold. As originally designed, the building was intended to house a main auditorium, with reading room, games room, billiard room and assembly hall and a small flat: as built, the flat was replaced by a library. In the 1930's, the auditorium became a cinema, and fixed seating was installed. The Institute closed in 1977, but was under renovation at time of inspection, October 1995.

Exterior

Inter-war Baroque style. Red brick with pale freestone dressings, reinforced concrete construction. Slate roofs. Plan comprises main auditorium range with entrance foyer and offices, the roof stepped up over fly tower to rear; hipped roofed wing to NW, housing former library etc; and billiard room and assembly hall to rear. Entrance front has 2 storeyed, 5-bay facade with advanced outer bays. These are stressed by rusticated pilasters, and each has curved pediment with modillion cornice and stepped blocking course. 6-panelled door with overlight in moulded and lugged architrave to ground floor, and round-arched window with radial glazing and moulded architrave with apron above. Central block has coupled Doric columns to 3-bay entrance porch, with beaded frieze to architrave and balustraded parapet. Main paired panelled doors flanked by narrow windows with latticed glazing. Central round-arched window flanked by 9-pane sash windows, all in lugged moulded architraves. Modillion cornice and balustraded parapet. Steep pyramidal roof surmounted by timber clock cupola with Ionic half-columns and ribbed domed cap. W return elevation of auditorium range has flat-roofed corridor at ground floor level, with 2 and 4-light small paned mullioned and transomed windows with segmental heads with keyblocks; articulated by buttresses above this corridor, with 4-light small-paned windows immediately below the eaves (similar windows in E elevation). Library block has lean-to porch in angle (with recent extensions alongside it to ground floor), and 3x12-pane sash windows with moulded terracotta sills above. Return elevation is a 6-window range with similarly detailed 12-pane sashes on each floor. Billiard hall range to rear has 3 round-arched windows with heavy radial glazing and terracotta heads to ground floor, and 12-pane sash windows with terracotta sills on moulded brackets above. Similar detail in 4-window range to rear elevation, and E return.

Return flank bays to each side, plain brick buttressed side walls, aisle and N. extension flanking fly-tower to rear. Brick piers and good area railings.

Interior has fine galleried auditorium with classical detailing including shallow segmental vault with guilloche bands and circular ventilators, fluted surrounds with angled authemions, key-pattern overdoors etc. Sinuous gallery front with elaborately swagged bosses, rectangular proscenium with foliage surrounds. Secondary halls to rear, office block to front over lateral entrance lobby with good doorcases, pannelled doors, plasterwork etc.

Disused at time of inspection (November 1986).

Reference: E Hubbard, "Clwyd" (Penguin 1986) pp. 265-6.

Interior

Fine galleried auditorium with stylised classical detailing including shallow segmental vault with guilloche bands carried on Art-Deco corbel-pilasters, and circular ventilators, fluted surrounds to wall panels, key-pattern overdoors etc. Sinuous gallery front with elaborately swagged bosses; fly-stage has rectangular proscenium with foliate surround. Gallery retains what appears to be the original cinema seating, with some Art-Deco detailing. Elsewhere, much of the original layout survives, with office range fronting the auditorium at first floor level, and the former games room, library, billiard room etc in the rear wing.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at grade II* as an exceptionally fine and well-detailed former Miners' Institute, with a rich decorative order both externally and in the main auditorium; it retains much of its original character and layout.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Stiwt Theatr official website
• Wikidata Q31941371

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)