Court House

Court House, Sheffield

Town hall, now High Court and Crown Court. Built in 1808 by Watson of Wakefield, it was remodelled and extended in the mid 19th century, with further alterations in the mid and late 20th centuries. The building is constructed in ashlar with ashlar dressings, and has four stone stacks, three of them rebuilt without their copings. The roof is not visible from outside.

This is a Classical Revival style building of two storeys plus basement, measuring 5 windows by 13 windows. It occupies a sloping corner site, which allows the basement to extend along the right return to Waingate. The principal features include a plinth, rusticated ground floor and basement, quoins, first floor band, moulded cornice, coped parapet with balustrade panels.

The entrance front faces Castle Street and features a recessed entrance bay to the left with a triple plain sash window and, below it, a segment-arched entrance with multiple keystones and a late 20th-century canopy. To the right is a symmetrical block with a slightly projecting centre defined by rusticated quoins and two margin light sashes, flanked by single similar sashes. Below are four segment-headed margin light sashes, the right one reduced, with a drinking fountain dating to circa 1897 inserted nearby.

The right return to Waingate displays a five-window block with three central projecting bays defined by Ionic pilasters on the first floor. The centre contains three margin light sashes, the right one blank, with a margin light sash to the left and a blank to the right. Above the centre rises a square tower in two stages, topped with a leaded square dome and finial. The rusticated base has single slit windows, while the upper stage features quoins and round-headed openings on each side with hoodmould, impost band, multiple keystone and cast-iron grille. Above the modillion cornice is a stage with four square corner piers and four clock faces. Below stands a central flat-headed doorcase with rusticated pilasters and panelled door, flanked by single segment-headed margin light sashes and further similar single sashes. Below the windows are barred basement openings.

To the right of this section is an addition of two storeys plus basement and attics, measuring three windows. It features a central two-storey round-arched opening with a recessed segment-headed margin light sash, flanked by similar single sashes. Above is a blank and two margin light sashes, with a blank above and two small casements again. Below is a central enriched pedimented doorcase with Ionic columns in antis and urns on the cornice above—this was formerly the judges' entrance. On either side stands a flat-headed margin light sash, the left one barred. To the right is a set-back bay with two margin light sashes on each floor, those to the first floor segment-headed.

Further right is a projecting block of three windows with a pediment containing a roundel. A two-storey round-headed central arch contains a segment-headed margin light sash, flanked by similar single sashes on either side. Above are three tall margin light sashes flanked by Ionic pilasters. Below is a shouldered central entrance with a pair of cast-iron gates, flanked by single windows, the right one covered by a cast-iron grille.

Beyond this is a three-bay round-headed arcade with wrought-iron grilles and blank fanlights. Above is a panelled parapet, with the main balustrade set back at an angle above it. The pedimented right return has three blank panels framed by Ionic pilasters and below, a brick infill panel with a barred door and two windows.

The interior contains a semicircular lobby with Doric columns and entablature, with 20th-century windows above. Two wooden dogleg stairs have cast-iron lotus balusters. Court 1, dating to the late 19th century, features a dentilled cornice and glazed king post roof with scroll brackets to the soffits. Late 19th-century fittings include a magistrates' bench with traceried front panel and canopy with iron posts and crest, a panelled public gallery with pedimented doorcase and square wooden posts, a dock with brass guard rail, and panelled benches. The first floor Court 2 has panelled walls, cornice and cross beam ceiling with skylight, with similar but plainer fittings. Court 3 is smaller and plainer still. The main first floor rooms contain marble and oak fireplaces and pedimented doorcases.

The basement is reached by a stone winder stair and includes a judges' entrance hall with cross beam on Ionic marble columns and a five-flight cantilever stone stair with traceried wrought-iron balustrade. At the rear is a segmental arched corridor containing 14 segmental arched cells.