Open Doors - Institute Building, Caernarfon

The Institute Building was built in 1884, with the aim of meeting people's educational and cultural needs. There was a reading room and library on the ground floor, a lecture theatre on the second floor and an art room on the third. There were two shops at street level, to generate rent to cover the maintenance costs of the building.

In 1912, the Institute was expanded to create a council chamber on the first floor.

Art Nouveau period features include the brass door handles and the woodwork. On the ground floor of the extension, there was a large library, and that later became the County Library.

In the cellar were the town's public baths, and they were in use as recently as the 1960s.

At 2.15pm on September 14,  there will be a talk about the building, presented by Caernarfon Civic Association Tools - translation available for non-Welsh speakers. After the talk (between 3pm and 5pm), there will be an opportunity to wander around the building, and see the artefacts and art.

No booking required. (Call 01286 672943 for further information). 

Address - Institute Building, Pavilion Allt, Caernarfon, LL55 1AS.