Armagh Courthouse

Armagh Courthouse is a judicial facility in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The courthouse, which accommodates hearings for the local magistrates' courts and county courts,[1] is a Grade A listed building.[2]

Armagh Courthouse
Armagh Courthouse
LocationArmagh, County Armagh
Coordinates54.3507°N 6.6528°W / 54.3507; -6.6528
Built1809
ArchitectFrancis Johnston
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical style
Websitewww.courtsni.gov.uk
Listed Building – Grade A
Official nameCourthouse, The Mall, Armagh
Designated30 April 1975
Reference no.HB 15/16/001
Shown in Northern Ireland

History

The courthouse was commissioned to replace an earlier assizes house in Market Street.[3] The new building, which was designed by Francis Johnston in the Neoclassical style, was built between 1806 and 1809.[4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto College Hill; the central section featured a tetrastyle portico with Doric order columns supporting a frieze with triglyphs and a pediment: the building was faced with Armagh limestone.[5]

The building was originally used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place for Armagh County Council.[6] After the Second World War, county leaders decided that the courthouse was too cramped to accommodate the county council in the context of the county council's increasing administrative responsibilities, especially while the courthouse was still acting as a facility for dispensing justice, and therefore chose to move to new premises at Charlemont Place in 1945.[7]

The courthouse underwent a complete reconstruction in the mid-1960s and by 1971 the plasterwork, staircase, balusters and most of the woodwork had been replaced.[3] On 3 September 1993, a 1,000 lb bomb exploded directly outside the courthouse causing major structural damage to the roof, façade and walls.[3] The main courtrooms were damaged and in the force of the blast one of the pillars was moved back a full 9 inches. An extensive programme of reconstruction and enlargement, with a new 3-storey extension added to the rear, was carried out at a cost of £8 million and the courthouse was officially re-opened by Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, on 15 January 1999.[8][9] The courthouse was the venue for the trial and conviction of Robert Black for the murder of Jennifer Cardy in September 2011.[10][11]

In May 2012 the justice minister, David Ford, said that he accepted an inspection report recommending that the Armagh Courthouse should close in a proposed rationalisation of the court system.[12][13]

Cases

The courthouse deals mainly with magistrates' court business for the Petty Sessions District of Armagh, including adult and youth criminal and domestic legal proceedings. It is also used by county court and district judges for civil case hearings.[4]

References
  1. "Armagh Court Office". Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  2. "Armagh Courthouse". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. Campbell, Maureen (1997). Armagh, City of Light and Learning: Paintings and Stories from the Orchard County. Cottage Publications. p. 18. ISBN 978-1900935050.
  4. "Armagh Courthouse". Charter Mark Achievers 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  5. "Court House, The Mall, Armagh". Stone Database. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  6. "Belfast - Dublin - Cork Telephone Directory". 1913. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  7. "No. 1239". The Belfast Gazette. 23 March 1945. p. 69.
  8. "Armagh Courthouse". Northern Ireland Court Service. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  9. "Trial and resolution". Architects' Journal. 9 November 2000.
  10. "Van Driver Accused of Girl's Murder 'Linked to Crime by Old Petrol Receipts'". Daily Telegraph. 22 September 2011.
  11. "Mother of Jennifer Cardy Recalls Her Last Movements". BBC News. 22 September 2011.
  12. "Fears over future of Downpatrick courthouse". The Down Recorder. 1 May 2012.
  13. "Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service challenged by Estate Strategy". Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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