Old Court House,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a two-storey former market/courthouse, built c.1880. It is rectangular in plan and is located to the South side of the main Street of Pomeroy, with the town square ‘The Diamond’ located to the North.

External walls are painted roughcast render to the front elevation. Walls are resting on a rendered base. The rear and side elevation are snecked and regular coursed stone and brick. The south east corner of the courthouse is chamfered at ground floor level.
The roof is pitched with natural slate. There are two chimneys to the roof, one at each gable end. Rainwater goods are cast-iron.

The front North elevation fronts onto the Main Street. It is four bays in width. The ground floor is composed of a segmental-headed doorway at left, a segmental-headed coach arch, a segmental-headed door, and a further elliptical-headed doorway on the right.
The segmental-headed doorway to the left has a replacement timber door with timber side panels. There is a signboard over to the segmental-headed recess. The segmental-headed coach arch has a modern steel wire mesh gate set within. The segmental-headed door to the third bay has a replacement metal door. It is surmounted by a glazed overlight. All ground floor openings have painted bull-nosed brick surrounds and voussoirs over.

The first floor has four square-headed window openings. The first, third and fourth bays are 2/2 timber sliding sash frames. The second bay is 4/4 timber sliding sash. All windows are set on cut-stone sills.

The side East elevation is gable ended and contains no openings. It is surmounted by a brick chimney with profiled stepped capping to the apex.

The rear South elevation is rubble stone and contains an assortment of square-headed openings varying in size, in irregular layout. To the centre of the ground floor is a segmental-headed coach arch, aligning through from the other side. There were steps to the three doors in the rear elevation; a partial flight remains at the doorway second from left, however the remainder have been removed. To the first floor over the archway is a square-headed door opening with a projecting concrete balcony of matching width to the door, and surrounded by a steel balustrade; there is a metal window over.

The side West elevation is obscured by the neighbouring building.

Setting:
The courthouse is located to the South side of the main Street of Pomeroy, with the town square ‘The Diamond’ located to the North. Pomeroy is located to the South-western side of Cookstown.

Historical information

This former court/market house was built in 1881-82, on the site of what appears to have been a pre-1834 dwelling house. An entry within the annual valuation revision book dated 1882, tells us that the ‘under part’ of the new structure contained a ‘corn market, egg and butter market, with the petty sessions court in the ‘upper part’. Previous to this a building located a few doors to the south-east had been used as the court house.

The upper floor continued in use as a court house up until the mid 20th century, with the lower floor given over to private commercial use around the same period.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/37/16C Annual valuation revision book, Pomeroy ED, 1879-1881
2 PRONI VAL/12B/37/16D Annual valuation revision book, Pomeroy ED, 1882-1895
3 PRONI VAL/12B/37/16E Annual valuation revision book, Pomeroy ED, 1896-1911
4 PRONI VAL/12E/181/1 Valuation plan of Pomeroy, 1906
5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/16F Annual valuation revision book, Pomeroy ED, 1912-29
6 EHS OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 37, 1936

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

This is a late nineteenth century market/court house in substantially original condition. It is in a robust and functional style with detailing typical of the era and maintains a significant presence in the town. Changes in use have not affected its character and form and this, along with its location on the main square, reinforces its importance as a civic building of special interest. Its urban setting has been well preserved with its relationship to the Diamond and to the other principal building on the square, the parish church (HB09/02/001).