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Gwent House, Gwent Square, Cwmbran

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NPRN422665
Map ReferenceST29NE
Grid ReferenceST2952495470
Unitary (Local) AuthorityTorfaen
Old CountyMonmouthshire
CommunityCwmbran Central
Type Of SiteLOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICE
Period20th Century
Description


1. Gwent House is the home of the District Council Offices for Torfaen and the Public Library. Used by HM Courts Service and HCMS - South East Wales, the building is a seven story structure with retail space on the ground floor and open plan office space above. Built during the 1970s as a local government building, it is constructed with a steel and concrete frame with wall to wall double glazed windows and a flat roof.

2. Gwent House sits on the east side of Gwent Square at the heart of Cwmbran New Town's centre. The 'Central Building' as it was known during development was conceived by the Cwmbran Development Corporation, as a mixed development of leisure (including a club, dance hall and hotel) and office accommodation with retail to the ground floor. this was to expand the function of the town centre beyond purely a shopping centre, and to address the perceived lack of 'professional' office jobs. In the event, the offices proved difficult to let and were occupied by the CDC and Cwmbran Urban District Council. 

The building was designed by Sheppard, Robson & Partners and opened on the 18th January 1973. The eight-storey, concrete framed block included a job centre, the library, a conference and exhibition hall, and three restaurants catering for different tastes and age ranges, including the 'Sign of the Steer'. 

On the west side of the building are a series of three moulded concrete relief panels designed by Henry Collins for the MEPC, the Cwmbran Development Corporation and the Cwmbran Arts Trust in 1974. The panels depict scenes representing different phases of the history of Gwent: Iron Age and Roman, Medieval and Industrial.

S Fielding RCAHMW May 2018