The Court House And Inspectors House Front Wall And Gate

The Court House and attached inspector’s house, with front wall and gate, were built around 1840, with a new courthouse added in 1885-86. The inspector’s house, originally the first court house, is located to the left. The building is constructed of brick with painted ashlar dressings and has a shallow hipped slate roof. There are three tall wall stacks and the building is two storeys high. The front elevation features three windows; a central doorway with a panel door and overlight within a projecting round-headed surround with painted impost blocks and hood, and either side, single plain sash windows with painted ashlar cills and lintels. Above, there are three similar windows, with the central one slightly narrower.

The 1885-86 courthouse is constructed of stone with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. It is a single storey building, linked to the inspector’s house via a lower entrance link to the right. The entrance features a projecting ashlar doorway with double panel doors and overlight set into a pilastered surround topped with a frieze inscribed "COURT HOUSE" and surmounted by a pediment. The courtroom is located to the right and is articulated with plain Doric pilasters on a raised base. The main front has six pilasters under an entablature and a broad pediment with a circular window. A central broad sash window is flanked by narrower sashes. The side facade is dominated by a projecting central section with corner pilasters and a large tripartite sash window under another broad pediment. Single narrow sash windows are located on either side.

The interior of the courtroom displays a finely detailed classical style, with a wooden panelled dado rail and matching panelled court seating. The walls are decorated with fluted Doric pilasters and a triple arched arcade to the rear. Windows and doors have crisply detailed plaster surrounds and wall panels, and the coffered ceiling features similar plasterwork. The new courthouse, built in 1885-86 for £796. 8s. 5d, includes a 20th-century extension to the rear which is not of special interest.