Shire Hall Visitor and Tourist Information

Visiting the Shire Hall

View the Historic Courtroom 1, now fully restored to how it looked in the 1840’s.

Visit the Holding Cells and experience the unpleasant conditions that prisoners of the day were subjected. 

Admire the Henry V Tapestry in Courtroom 2, which took Monmouth Broderers 4500 hours to create over a five year period. 

Speak to our in-house tourist guides for information on what to do, where to stay, places to eat, local attractions and what’s on in and around Monmouth, the Wye Valley and the Brecon Beacons.

Browse our well stocked Gift Shop to pick up local souvenirs, maps, books and brochures regarding Shire hall History and local attractions. 

Take a peep inside ..

Ever wondered what happens inside the Shire Hall? Why not pop in and take a look? 

View our Court Rooms, the holding cells and Henry V wall tapestry. Visit our gift shop and chat with one of our Visitor Information advisors!  For a guided tour with one of our expert guides please be sure to book in advance so that we can make sure both Court Rooms and a guide is available to talk you through the History of the Shire Hall and the chartist movements. (Free admission for self show-arounds)

Guided Tours

We can arrange for one of our knowledgeable guides to give you a guided tour. As part of the guided tour, you can find out more about the Chartist Trials of 1840 by visiting Courtroom 1 and the cells and see the glorious Henry V wall-hanging, which adorns Courtroom 2.  

Guided Tours are charged at £3 per person.  Refreshments, if required, cost £1 per head.  

To arrange Group Tours of the Shire Hall please contact us on 01600 775257. 

Henry V Tapestry 

The ‘Monmouth Broderers’ a skilled group of embroiderers, decided to celebrate the birth of Henry V, in Monmouth.  The Henry V wall hanging depicts the King on horseback addressing his troops at Agincourt, before the battle on 25th October 1415.   The Henry wall hanging was gifted by the ‘Monmouth Broderers’ and has been valued at £56,100.  The ‘Monmouth Broderers’ took 4,500 hours to complete the wall hanging, including workshops in the Shire Hall during the summers of 1999 and 2000.

Did you know. . . .

Shire Hall Facts:

• There were originally 3 main Courtrooms at the Shire Hall: A Magistrates Court, a County Court and a Borough Court.
• The Magistrates Court closed in 1997 and the County Court closed in 2002
• The Community Room has had many uses over the years; it was originally a Borough Court and latterly became the town’s library. The library shut the doors at Shire Hall in 1992 and moved to its permanent home at The Rolls Hall the same year
• We have 3 Judge’s chairs in our Courtroom. Normally there would only have been one but because the Chartist’s trial was for High treason, three were required.

Monmouth Town

Monmouth is a Welsh border market town situated at the confluence of the Rivers Wye, Monnow and Trothy. With its bustling main street, it makes a great destination for a holiday or a day out! Browse the Monmouth area of the Visit Monmouthshire website for business listings and a whole host of other Monmouth related information. Perhaps best known as the birthplace of Henry V, Monmouth boasts a whole host of historical sites, people and buildings from the Nelson Garden to The Town Hall. It has a medieval 13th-century bridge over the river Monnow, unique in Britain, as it is the only preserved bridge of its design remaining.

Parking: We respectfully ask that vehicles only Park at the front of the Shire Hall for unloading/delivery purposes. Monmouth has a free car park at Cinderhill Street, NP25 5ES or just behind the Shire Hall is a Pay and Display Car Park on Glendower Street, NP25 3DF.

This post is also available in: Welsh