County Hall, Mold

A 19th century print showing Llwynegrin Hall which has been retained as the local Register Office

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, Flintshire County Council established its base at the old County Hall in Chester Street in Mold.[1] Additional facilities acquired included a local militia barracks (originally designed by Thomas Mainwaring Penson) which was converted for use as council offices in the late 1880s.[2] After finding, in the 1930s, that the Chester Street facilities were too cramped, county leaders decided to procure modern facilities:[3] the site they selected formed part of the Llwynegrin Hall estate which was acquired for the purpose.[4][lower-alpha 1]

The new building, which was designed by the county architect, Robert Harvey, in the brutalist style and influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, was completed in October 1967.[3] The design for the seven-storey building, which involved a series a parallel wings, featured continuous rows of windows, every second of which had a heavy concrete surround: it was officially opened as the Shire Hall by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in May 1968.[3] An extension to the building was opened by Princess Anne in July 1972.[3] After the implementation of the Local Government Act 1972, the new building became the home of Clwyd County Council in 1974.[7]

On 1 April 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Clwyd County Council was broken up and the building was acquired by the new Flintshire County Council who subsequently renamed it County Hall.[8] In March 2018 the council decided to redevelop the Raikes Lane site[9] and in November 2018 hundreds of staff began relocating to a new facility known as Ty Dewi Sant on St David's Park in Ewloe.[10] Work to demolish the building, wing by wing, began in May 2020.[11][12][13]