Magistrates Court Police Station Superintendents House

The complex comprises a police station, superintendent’s house, and magistrate’s court, built in 1842, with early 20th-century additions to the rear, possibly designed by S P Pick, the County Architect.

The police station is constructed of red brick with black brick banding. It has a wooden eaves cornice to a hipped slate roof, with end stacks to the left and rear right. A shallow central projection features a triangular pediment. The two-storey building has rusticated quoins to the centre and ends. The front has a regular three-window arrangement, with glazing bar sashes in raised surrounds with segment heads and key blocks to the first floor. The ground floor windows have segment-headed recesses, also with key blocks. Narrow, segment-headed glazing bar sashes flank a segment-headed central door surround with a key block and a plain door.

The superintendent’s house is red brick with a stone first-floor cill-band. Paired, bracketed eaves rise from a shallow-pitched hipped Swithland slate roof, with end stacks to the left and rear. It is two storeys high, with irregular fenestration on both floors, featuring gauged heads and a wide canted bay on the ground floor to the left. A half-glazed door with a pentice-hood is located to the right of the centre.

The magistrate’s court is red brick with paired, bracketed eaves, a hipped Swithland slate roof with ball finials, and a central, lead-covered, louvred cupola topped with a concave-sided pyramidal roof and weather-vane. It is a single storey building with a five-window front featuring tall wooden cross casements. Recessed porches flank the front, with “PUBLIC ENTRANCE” above the left-hand door and "POLICE ENTRANCE" above the right-hand door, both set in moulded stone-dressed surrounds with inscriptions. Low brick towers with brick and stone banding are located to the left and right, behind the porches, topped by recessed blind crenellations and small leaded domes.

The police station is connected to the buildings behind it by a high wall forming an exercise yard and outbuildings. The magistrate’s court is attached to the rear of the police station on the left by a low range of buildings with a slate roof.

Inside the court room, original oak seating and dado panelling remain. Features include a central dock with turned baluster rails and a raised area for the magistrates. Group Value context: The buildings demonstrate significant architectural detail and represent a valuable example of Victorian civic architecture.