Court House, 75 Charlotte Street, Townparks, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim

Court House, 75 Charlotte Street, Ballymoney

This elegant and well-proportioned former courthouse was built around 1830 to the designs of the prominent architect Charles Lanyon. It served an important role in Ballymoney's history for over 140 years and forms part of a rare surviving group with the adjacent jail, built in the same year; it is uncommon in Ireland for courthouses and jails to have survived side by side.

The building is a classical and symmetrical structure comprising a five-bay ground floor topped by a three-bay centrally-placed first floor, with a slated pyramidal roof above. The ground floor front facade features a centrally-placed door flanked by two windows on each side. The entrance is set back from Charlotte Street behind a low wall serving as a podium, approached from the pavement by seven steps. The facade walls are of coursed basalt blocks with windows and breakfront quoins of brick. The outer windows are each set in a slightly projecting breakfront, flanked by wide pilaster-like projections. Above runs a smooth ashlar frieze, a boldly projecting cornice, and a blocking course, all in ashlar. The main entrance at the head of the steps is flanked by plain stone pilasters and Greek-style key-pattern motifs in the cross-lintel. The double wooden doors have three panels each and are surrounded by an over-light containing ten panes. The flanking windows contain timber-framed sliding-sashes of 6/6 pattern, these being replacements for plastic-framed windows inserted before 1990.

The east side elevation has seven bays with a centrally-placed doorway. The walls are similarly of basalt blocks with brick-surrounded windows. The frieze, cornice and blocking course continue from the front elevation. The door is set in a plain ashlar surround, whilst the flanking windows have timber sliding-sashes of 6/6. The ground floor west elevation is cement-rendered and contains five window openings. To the rear of the ground floor, which is rendered, there is a single door entrance with two small window openings on the east side.

The first floor comprises three bays square, with three windows on the front and two on each side elevation; none are present to the rear. All first floor windows have timber sliding-sashes of 6/6. Unlike the ground floor, the first floor windows have no brick surrounds but instead have moulded ashlar surrounds. The snecked courses of basalt blocks on the first floor have ashlar quoins at the building corners. The pyramidal slated roof above features a prominent cornice with an ashlar cornice band below.

The building was constructed in 1838 at a cost of £1,125, with an additional £40 for the bench and fittings. It was built adjacent to the jail, which was constructed in 1830. Sir Charles Brett, in his work on Court Houses and Market Houses of Northern Ireland, stated that this was probably an early modest work by Charles Lanyon, who became County Surveyor in the year the decision to build was taken.

The courthouse functioned for approximately 140 years before ceasing use around 1990, after which it became vacant. In 2001 the Ballymoney Reformed Presbyterian Church congregation acquired the building. Following extensive renovation in 2009, undertaken mostly by voluntary labour, the building was brought into service that year and has since been used for community outreach through public meetings. The building sits within a conservation area.