The Old Sessions House

The Old Sessions House is a court house, now functioning as a County Museum, built in 1825 by Thomas Rickman and altered over time. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a brick rear wall, and while the roof is mostly concealed, it features a large glazed lantern. The building has a rectangular plan with a porch at the front and a bow at the rear, designed in a classical style.

It stands two storeys tall, with a plinth, panelled pilasters, a cornice, and a blocking course. The south front is symmetrical and tripartite, with the central section being wider and projecting forward. This section includes a monumental square porch with a round-headed archway that has impost-bands and a keyed moulded head, along with a cornice and blocking course. Above the porch is an arcade of small round-headed windows, and the corners are topped with a parapet featuring corniced upstands. The side ranges, which originally had square 6-pane sashes at the ground floor and tall 12-pane sashes above, have seen alterations, particularly on the right side where the ground floor has been replaced by a 20th-century corridor.

The roof features a large glazed lantern at the center, which replaced the original dome. The west front is a symmetrical three-bay, five-window facade with matching windows, except for those on the ground floor to the right, which are slightly larger and have nine panes. The central porch is supported by unfluted Greek Doric columns arranged distyle in antis. There are additions at the east end, and the rear wall projects into the prison yard. Inside, there is a large central courtroom hall, although details were concealed at the time of the survey. The building forms a group with the adjacent Prison and Prison Annexe.