Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/19/002

Address :
Court House Bishop Street Londonderry County Londonderry BT48 6PQ

Townland:
Londonderry

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Survey 2:
A

Date of Listing:
25/05/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Court House

Former Use
Court House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
36-8NW

IG Ref:
C4335 1647

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Greek-Revival-style stone two-storey Courthouse c. 1813-1817 with square-headed windows, deep projecting cornice with solid stone parapet above, slated hipped roof behind. Front elevation faces West to Bishop Street with a broad flight of steps up to recessed entrance with timber double panelled doors to a central tetra-style portico of the Erechtheum Ionic order with Ionic columns, responding Doric order pilasters, entablature and pediment surmounted by the Royal Arms, flanked by projecting narrow bays to either side with coupled Doric order pilasters, statues of Justice and Peace in white Portland stone by Edward Smyth surmount each side bay. Rusticated Barony Glen sandstone to ground floor level with ashlar to first floor with seven 9/6 timber sliding sash windows with lugged surround spanning across the width of the front elevation, with dressings including the orders, cornices, and string courses in white Portland stone. Side elevations are of smooth-render with stone dressings, deep projecting stone cornice and balustraded parapet above; North side faces onto St Columb's Court, six bays wide with five 6/6 timber sliding sash windows, timber double doors, off-centre to left with fanlight above to the ground floor, six 9/6 timber sliding sash windows to first floor; South side faces onto courtyard overlooking adjoining property of Crown and Peace Office (HB01/19/003), four bays wide with three 6/6 timber sliding sash windows and timber entrance door to the North-end with fanlight above to the ground floor, four 9/6 timber sliding sash windows to first floor. Rear elevation is blank, facing East overlooking the churchyard with two storey stone extensions with (partly) hipped roof with lead capping to East elevation, lead clad ventilation dormers to hipped roof of extension. Setting: Sited north east of the Westmost portion of the City Walls, the courthouse is on the East side of Bishop Street Within behind low stone wall with high wrought-iron railings, adjoining Crown & Peace Office (HB01/19/003), with St Columb's Cathedral (HB 01/19/001) to the rear, and opposite Bishop Street Freemasons Hall (HB 01/19/006). Materials: Roof Natural Slate RWG Cast Iron Walling Sandstone / Render Windows Timber Sliding Sash Doors Original timber panelled

Architects

Bowden, John Robinson, Matthew Alexander Boddie, C L

Historical Information

The Court House on Bishop Street, a two-storey Greek-Revival building possessing a tetrastyle Ionic portico, was constructed in 1813-17. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs (1837) note that a report was presented to The Honourable The Irish Society in 1812 by the M.P. for Derry, Sir George Fitzgerald Hill, who proposed obtaining an act of Parliament for the construction of a court house for the city. The Society agreed to the proposition and the foundation stone was laid on 18th December 1813. Londonderry Court House was designed by John Bowden (d. 1822), a Dublin-based architect also believed to be the designer of St. Columb’s Cathedral’s spire (installed in 1822 – HB01/19/001) and the architect responsible for early-19th century additions to the Bishop’s Palace (HB01/19/006) on the opposite side of Bishop Street. Bowden’s original plans show that the entablature of the pediment was to be inscribed with ‘THIS IS THE EYE OF JUSTICE THAT SEES ALL THINGS’ in Greek lettering (Brett, p. 90). The court house was constructed by the Dublin building firm of Henry, Mullins & McMahon who also erected the Jail on Bishop Street in 1819-24. The statues of Justice and Peace, located above the wings of the court house, were originally sculpted by John Smyth (c. 1773-1840), also based in Dublin, who succeeded his father Edward Smyth following his death in 1812. In 1828 Smyth was responsible for the design of the Governor Walker statue which originally stood atop the Walker Monument (HB01/19/013) but was relocated to the Siege Memorial Garden following the destruction of its pillar in 1973. Due to excessive wear, the original statues have been removed and replaced with the current copies (DIA). Londonderry Court House was completed in 1817 after a cost of £30,479 15s., but the first court assizes were held within it in 1816. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs note that, aside from the assizes, the court house was utilised for petty sessions, the mayor’s court and county meetings. Colby, the memoir author, noted that ‘the Court House possesses much architectural beauty. It exhibits a façade, judiciously broken by a tetrastyle portico of the antique Ionic order, modelled after that of the Temple of Erechtheus at Athens, and terminating in wings. The edifice measures 126ft by 66ft. All the ornamental work is of [Portland Stone], but the principal material is white sandstone, procured chiefly from the neighbourhood of Dungiven (OSM, pp 115-116). The Townland Valuations set the total rateable value of the court house at £473 5s. 4d. in 1832. The value of the City and County Court House was decreased to £250 under Griffith’s Valuation (1856). For eighty years the court house stood unaltered, but in 1896-97 tenders were invited for the alteration and extension of the building. According to the Londonderry Sentinel ‘for years incessant complaints were made by judges, jurors, and others regarding the inadequate accommodation provided in the County Courthouse for those having to attend Quarter Sessions and Assizes, while the sanitation on several occasions evoked strong expressions of discontent from members of the North-West Bar.’ The County Surveyor for Derry, Arthur Charles Adair (c. 1824-1903) was contracted to undertake the alteration of the court house in 1896 and design a new building for the County Offices to its south side with the addition of the square lanterns. Adair completed the improvements to the court house in 1897 at an estimated cost of £8,000, whilst the adjoining County Offices (now Crown and Peace Offices – HB01/19/003) were completed in 1899. The work was carried out by Bright Bros of Portadown. A second renovation of the court house was undertaken in 1902-03 when it was reroofed and internal modifications carried out to designs by Matthew Robinson (1872-1929) and Charles Boddie (1861-1924), at a cost of £3,500 (DIA) . Despite the improvement of the building, the value of Londonderry Court House remained at £250 until the 1930s. The First value of the court house was greatly increased to £1,300 by the end of the Second Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72). In 1970 the UAHS guide described Londonderry Court House as ‘one of the finest buildings of architectural quality in the city [but] internally, the court house is disappointing’ (UAHS guide, pp 19-20). In 1973 Brett further praised the building as ‘one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the north.’ The court house was listed category B in 1976 and was subsequently included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977. During the Northern Ireland Troubles the court house was a frequent target of bomb attacks. The single-storey security shed was added to the exterior of the building as a result of heightened security concerns. Following a bomb attack in the 1990s major alterations were carried out to the exterior and interior of the courthouse (excepting courtrooms one and two which are protected rooms). This renovation included the replacement of the glazing with reinforced glass and the restoration of the façade, much damaged during its near 200 year history. Calley states that ‘the cleaning has somewhat diminished the good contrast between the two types of stone used resulting in a slightly flattish appearance’ (Calley, p. 45; Derry Journal). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830) 2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853) 3. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/14 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873) 4. PRONI VAL/1/B/547E – Townland Valuations (1832) 5. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856) 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897) 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1898-1929) 8. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) 9. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 10. Ordnance Survey Memoir of Parish of Templemore (1837) 11. Robert Simpson’s Annals of Derry (1847) 12. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1918) 13. Londonderry Sentinel (30 May 1899) 14. First Survey Record – HB01/19/002 (1970) 15. First Survey Image – HB01/19/002 (No Date) 16. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/002 (Missing) 17. Foyle Civic Trust – Living City Project (Bishop Street) 18. Derry Journal (7 Jun 2013) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Court houses and market houses of the province of Ulster’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1973. 2. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013. 3. Ferguson, W. S; Rowan, A. J; Tracey, J. J., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in and near the city of Derry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970. 4. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002. 5. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003. 6. ‘Londonderry Historic City Conservation Area Booklet’ Department of the Environment, 1977. 7. ‘A Design Guide for the Historic City Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2012. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Archietects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form E. Spatial Organisation I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A Greek-Revival-style stone two-storey Courthouse c. 1813-1817, situated north east of the Westmost portion of the City Walls to designs by John Bowden, later extended by A.C. Adair in 1896 and remodelled internally in 1902-03 to designs by M. Robinson and C. Boddie. The courthouse is on the East side of Bishop Street Within behind stone walling topped by metal railings that were probably late 20th century additions, adjoining Crown & Peace Office (HB01/19/003), which is also the work of Adair. The Courthouse has group value with the latter. St Columb's Cathedral (HB 01/19/001) sits immediately to the east of the Courthouse and possesses a spire by the same architect, John Bowden; he also designed Bishop Street Freemasons Hall (HB 01/19/006), located directly opposite to the north-west. The 200 year old courthouse is one of the oldest in the Court Service estate with little change to the original layout. Court rooms 1 & 2 are largely intact and these are of notable architectural interest for the grand classical detailing, including high-quality panelling and cornicing. The prominent facade in Greek-Revival style of Portland stone is a key element within Bishop Street and within the Historic Walled City and the broad entrance steps that lead to its central portico add further significance to this important public building.

General Comments

Date of Survey

25 February 2014