Agincourt House, Monmouth
| Agincourt House | |
|---|---|
 Agincourt House in 2009; the antiques business has since closed | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | No. 1 Agincourt Square |
| Town or city | Monmouth |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°48′44.9″N 2°42′55.0″W / 51.812472°N 2.715278°W |
| Construction started | 1624 |
Agincourt House, No. 1 Agincourt Square, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales is a notable early seventeenth century half-timbered building.[1] The building has been much restored, but the bargeboard over the gable onto Agincourt Square gives a date of 1624.[1] The initials either side of the date are those of William Roberts, whose grandson rebuilt Drybridge House in Monmouth. Agincourt House is Grade II* listed as at 27 June 1952.[2] It is one of 24 buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.
A house on the site is shown on John Speed's map of Monmouth Town dated 1610, the street plan on which was to remain unaltered until the 19th century. The present shop frontage is late nineteenth century.[3] From around 1830 to the end of the 19th century it was an Ironmongers. In 1830 the proprietor was Josiah Coates, who was also a Blacksmith, Brazier and Tinplate Worker. From the early 1860s to 1883 the proprietor was Joseph Coates, with the words 'Furnishing' and 'Ironmonger' on the shop fascia to either side of the name 'Coates'. He also undertook the duties of Blacksmith, but he was also a Nailmaker, Locksmith and Bellhanger. Joseph Coates (d. 1883) was a Chorister and Church Warden at St Mary's Priory Church. It is said that John Major, the UK Prime Minister 1990-7, is a descendent of the Coates family.
From 1884 the premises were occupied by another Ironmonger, namely William Honeyfield, who was a very prominent citizen in Monmouth and was Mayor of Monmouth 1891-95. He was also a Mason and a member of the Bellringers at St Mary's Priory Church, and took part in a 10-part Peal of Bells recorded on a Plaque in the Bell Tower (Thursday July 1, 1896).
In 1919 the premises were occupied by the YMCA, and in the early 1920s by Cash & Co. (Boot and Shoe Makers). The name Cash & Co. may still be seen in the mosaic floor to the front entrance doorway. By 1934 the premises had been taken over by W. & E. Turner Ltd., Shoe Retailer. 'Le Gourmet', the butchers currently in Church Street, occupied the shop in the 1980s when it closed as a Shoe Retailer. After the butchers moved out the premises were extensively restored and were given an award by Monmouth Civic Society on 16 October 1991. From 1992 up to March 2010 the premises were an Antiques Shop, and it is now (2012) a clothes shop, with offices on the upper floors.
Notes
- ^ a b The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 405
- ^ Agincourt House, British Listed Buildings, accessed 25 January 2012
- ^ Agincourt House 1 and 1a, Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments, accessed 25 January 2012
References
- Newman J., The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, (2000) Penguin Books
