Old Court House

Old Court House and Old Police Station

This Arts and Crafts style building comprises two distinct structures: the Old Police Station to the left and the former Court House to the right, both constructed of red brick with slate roofs and projecting eaves. Decorative detail characterises the lower storey, whilst half-timbering adorns the upper storey.

The Old Police Station is one-and-a-half storeys with a symmetrical frontage. A left-end stack and moulded brick string course feature prominently. The central recessed doorway contains a 20th-century wooden door beneath a flat timber lintel, and is flanked by two wide 4-light casement windows with horizontal glazing bars, square quarries and flat lintels. Above the doorway and string course sits a striking diamond frieze executed in blue brick. A wide gabled half-dormer with half-timbering and projecting verges supported on brackets rises centrally, containing a 7-light window with small-paned casements.

The Old Court House is 2-storeys with an asymmetrical front and hipped roof to the right. The ground floor contains a high-set 7-light window to the left with narrow lights and chamfered brick mullions; the central light is blocked with brick, the others fitted with iron-framed glazing and a moulded brick sill beneath a continuous sill band. To the right, a stairlight beneath the eaves contains 3-light with chamfered brick mullions and a moulded sill of different style. Above the 7-light window, the half-timbered gable of the upper storey, with bracket-supported verges, contains a wide 8-light window with small-pane casements. A shaped lintel above bears the stylised letters 'JSB' (John Bankes) and the date '1877', flanked by ornamental friezes with circles.

The western end contains the Court House entrance, offset to the right with a recessed boarded door under a flat stone lintel. To the left is a small 2-light brick mullioned window with a sill band continuing as a hoodmould. Above and offset to the right sits a wide half-timbered attic dormer with a 4-light small-paned casement window.

The Court House is L-shaped, with a rear range continuing the high front gable and containing the court chambers. The return from the western end, facing south, has a 2-light brick mullioned window. The western side of the rear range contains a 3-light brick mullioned window at ground floor. The 2-storey south gable end is brick with a string course containing a saw-tooth brick band. Each storey contains 2 pairs of 3-light windows with chamfered brick mullions, flat brick hoodmoulds and moulded sills. A clustered brick shaft stands in the right angle of the gable end.

The rear of the Old Police Station features a small 20th-century brick lean-to to the left containing a door and multi-pane window. A long 2-storey range extends to the right; the western side has small multi-pane windows beneath segmental brick heads and skylights. The eastern side adjoins the stables and courtyard of Lislea House, the former vicarage.

Interior

The entrance to the Old Court House opens into a stairhall lined in red brick. To the left is a plain timber dog-leg staircase with moulded handrail, with cloakroom beneath. Straight ahead lies the main chamber, oriented north-south, lined in yellow brick with glazed dado and featuring 2 timber cross-beams. Yellow brick relieving arches span the windows, doorways and a fireplace to the centre of the east wall, which is of moulded grey stone with flat head. The former doorway to the police station, now blocked, lies to the left. Interior window mullions are glazed and chamfered brick.

Upstairs, a narrow corridor to the west provides access to a second chamber of equal size with similar detail. This chamber has a canted ceiling with 2 collar trusses and a smaller stone fireplace.