Sixty county courts in Wales have closed since the modern system of county courts in England and Wales was established by the County Courts Act 1846. In all, 80 towns and cities in Wales have held county courts since 1847, and only 20 county courts in Wales are still open. The first closure was Fishguard in 1856. Newbridge was the location of a county court for the shortest period – for only five months in 1856. Blaenavon is the only town in Wales to have a county court close and then reopen, both events taking place in 1938. The volume of court business declined during the Second World War and some little-used courts, including Presteigne and Llandeilo, were closed as a result. The most recent opening of a county court took place in Caerphilly in 1965, although this closed in 2000. Monmouth was based in the Shire Hall (pictured) until the court was closed in 2002 because of the poor standard of the court accommodation. The most recent closures are the county courts in Aberdare and Pontypool, which closed on 1 August 2011. (Full list...)