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| Drawing of the Old Town Hall |
The old Town Hall, a picturesque, half-timbered early l6th century building,
had become so seriously decayed and dilapidated, that it was considered unsafe
to hold assemblies there, and it was demolished in 1839 and the present Town Hall
erected on the site. Several early Roman coins and other relics of that period were
discovered beneath the foundations. During some earlier excavations in the vicinity
of the Town Hall great quantities of glass fragments and several ancient melting-pots
were discovered and seemingly a glass manufactory had once existed there for there is
a reference to 'Flint Glass' in old records. The new building was completed
in 1840 at a total cost of £1,734.8.6, and the first meeting of the Town Council was
held there on 10 February 1840. The money was raised by subscription.| Drawing of the New Town Hall |
The Town Hall in Flint is a splendid and imposing building in the Tudor-Gothic
style at the very centre
of the town. The architect responsible for the design was Mr. John Welsh. It is
built of sandstone on two storeys, forming a rectangular gabled structure flanked
at both ends by octagonal embattled turrets and has a balcony. In 1885-6, six of
the windows in the council chamber were filled with stained glass, designed by
Mr Drewitt, and presented by various donors as memorials to some former mayors
and town clerks of the borough. The windows also display in succession the
Coat of Arms of the Kings and Queens who granted the borough its six charters. The building contains
many items of interest. These include: valuable portraits of past Mayors: a portrait
of King Richard II copied by Leonard Hughes in 1885, a Flintshire artist. The
original of which hangs in Westminster Abbey. The walls are lined with many
interesting pictures of Old Flint, and pictures of past Mayors and Councils. A copy of the towns first charter, granted in 1284
by Edward 1, hangs in the main council chamber. The roof of the chamber contains
timbers from the old Town Hall. The original Common Seal of the Borough was
dated 1458. The present Borough Seal was devised by George Roskell and James
Eyton and adopted on 9 November 1836 The fine painted ceiling in the Mayor's Chamber was presented by Mr. Ross
Mahon, a burgess of the town. The artist was Mr. Joseph Hall, a Town Councillor.
It contains fifteen panels, representing the armorial bearings of the fifteen
ancient royal tribes of North Wales. The civic plate includes the silver mace,
and is 27 inches in length and the shaft is divided into two lengths by a
central knob, the foot knob being globular; the head, which is cup shaped and
perfectly plain, is surrounded by a scalloped circlet or cresting, rising from
which are plain and narrow flattened arches, forming a crown, and surmounted by
a simple knob. On the flat top of the head are the royal arms of William
and Mary. Also in 1876 a silver Loving Cup
was presented by P. Ellis Eyton, the MP. for Flintshire. It has three scroll
handles, and bears the device of the borough on a shield, and over it an
inscription. Mrs. Richard Muspratt
presented the Mayor's Chain to the town in 1875, an ornate replica in gold of
an Etruscan original in the Vatican Museum and the work of Signore Neri, a goldsmith
of Rome. It consists of 12 medallions, each charged with a six-foiled flower,
and alternating with square panelled links. A pendant attached to the chain, bears on the obverse side a miniature
of the Corporation Seal worked in fine mosaic. The mayoress' chain was
presented in 1939 by Councillor DHJ Wray (Mayor), Alderman GA Chadwick and J
Bibby Denny (Town Clerk). When the original Muspratt chain
became fragile and broke on several occasions the decision was made to commission
a second Mayoral Chain of Office. A fund was set up in memory of the son of
Councillor and Mrs. Ted Evans who died in action during the Gulf War, to purchase
the second Mayoral Chain. The chain is made from sterling silver gilt with fine
links alternated with shields and oblong bar ends. It is fitted with a ribbon collerette that has joining rings and chain fittings. The oval shaped enamel
pendant carries the Coat of Arms of Flint. The Chain was made by Thomas Farrorini
of Birmingham in 1992 who had also made the Mayoress' Badge of Office in 1938. The
old chain is still used for special occasions but for normal meetings the new
chain is used. The mayor wears a scarlet robe trimmed with sables.
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