Court House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

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

The east side elevation has seven bays with a centrally placed doorway; the walls similarly are of basalt blocks, the windows have brick surrounds, and the frieze, corning and blocking continue here from the front elevation. Door set in a plain ashlar surround, while flanking windows, like those of the front, have timber sliding-sashes of 6/6. The ground floor west elevation is cement rendered and contained five windows openings. In the rere 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; there are three windows (all with timber sliding-sashes of 6/6) on the front and two side elevations; there are none to the rere. The windows of the first floor have no brick surrounds; instead they have moulded ashlar surrounds, while the snecked courses of basalt blocks on this floor first floor have ashlar quoins at the building corners. The pyramidal slated roof above has a prominent cornice with an ashlar cornice band below.

Historical information

Built adjacent to the jail (1830) in 1838 at a cost of £1,125, plus an additional sum of £40 for the 'bench and fitting up'. In his 'Court Houses and Market Houses' of Northern Ireland, the late Sir Charles Brett stated that he believed, probably correctly, that the building was 'an early modest work of Charles Lanyon, who became the County Surveyor in the year when the decision was taken'.
Having served as a court house for 140 odd years, the building ceased being used as a court house around 1990 and the building subsequently became vacent. In 2001 the congregation of the Ballymoney Reformed Presbuterian Church acquired the former Court House, and after extensive renovation in 2009 mostly by voluntary labour, the building was brought into service in 2009 and has been used for outreach to the community through public meetings.

References:
Brett, Sir C (1973) Court Houses and Market Houses. Belfast, Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, p28;
Girvan, D. (1972) North Antrim. Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, p41;
Brett, Sir C. (1996) Buildings of County Antrim. Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and Ulster Historical Foundation, p246.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
R. Age
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

An elegant, well proportioned and detailed one and two storey former courthouse, built c1830, to the designs of the important architect Charles Lanyon. It played an important role in the history of Ballymoney for over 130 years and also forms part of a group with the adjoining jail (HB04.15.001) ; it is rare in Ireland that adjoining court houses and jails have survived.