Court House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey smooth redbrick building with pink diamond shaped asbestos slated roof seven bays wide with dominant centre two stage tower containing the entrance door and rising up through the front side of the roof. The tower projects forward slightly from the front wall and is surmounted by a steep pitched pyramid roof, its soffit supported on corbelled modillions above a decorative string course. Three faces of the upper stage of the tower are punctuated with round headed windows with brick label moulding embellished with hefty keystone and square block stops. A moulded cill course encompasses the tower and below it a blank arcade of four arches and below a crude cornice defining the two stages. Windows and doors have square heads and are linked by a decorative sandstone string course. The building divides into three parts, the front containing porch, waiting hall, interview rooms, a bridewell and toilets and a similar block is repeated to the rear containing side entrance office, magistrate’s room and toilets and these blocks are linked by the court room which measures internally 11 metres by 9½ by 3.9 metres high approximately. The plan form is thus an elongated ‘H’.

The overall composition is domestic in scale, poorly detailed and appears to have suffered by the use of cheap facing materials possibly due to cost reductions. At present the building also suffers from masking security accoutrements.It is possible to loosely describe the building as Art and crafts style. Some of the brick detailing is similar to the Ogilby Trust National school of 1897 particularly under the gable overhangs.

The front of the building observes the general street building line. It is detached but it’s one storey height is at variance with the two and three storey character of the remainder of the street.

Historical information

Replaced neo-classical court house of 1830 built by the Grand Jury at the expense of 850 pounds and still stands in Irish Green Street (HB02/12/046). The present building was erected in 1914 and designed by the County Surveyor C L Boddie.

References:Primary Sources:
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' enlarged from 1st Edition Map (1831) PRONI: Val 2D/5/4 & T2933/4/126
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' (1848 revision with notes of 1858 valuation) PRONI: 058/120/1/1 & T2933/3/140
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1895) PRONI:Val 2D/5/4 & 293/4/261
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1907) PRONI:058/120/2/3

Secondary Sources
D Girvan, 'The Buildings of north Derry' UAHS 1975 p11
'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol. 9 Co Londonderry II 1833-5' ed by Angeleque Day and Patrick Mc Williams
(QUB) 1995.P91
Court Houses and Market Houses of Ulster - C Brett

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A poorly conceived unconfidently designed pretentious building aping the work of V Craig but lacking his panache. However it is an important edifice in the Limavady context and is well maintained. It has a well proportioned courtroom, with consistent detailing and in the elongated hall good neo-classical joinery details to doors, door-cases and screens in an Arts and Crafts manner. The planform is formed and competent with each function clearly stated. The buildings important social function is prominently located in the street.However its architectural shortcomings allied with its recent date (1914) excludes listing.