Police Court and Police Station, including forecourt walls, gates & railings

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from and above the road S of the junction with Cross Street.

History

The court was erected in 1911 by George Kenshole, architect, adjoining a police station of 1904.

Exterior

A large E-facing block comprising a police station of 2-storeys with attic, and a cell block to its L (S) which adjoins a projecting single-storey court. The court building is in Beaux-Arts style classicism and has an ashlar gabled front, while the side walls are of coursed rock-faced sandstone with lighter freestone dressings, and a slate roof is on a moulded freestone cornice. The 3-bay front has clasping buttresses with wreaths in sunk panels below the cornice, while the bays are framed by half-round Ionic pilasters supporting an architrave and an entablature inscribed 'Police Court'. Central double panelled doors are within an egg and dart surround with bold fluted keystone. The narrower outer bays have blind panels. The pediment has a dentilled cornice and is decorated with a garlanded wreath in relief. The 4-window L side wall has small-pane iron-framed windows in full-height shallow projections with deep architraves incorporating aprons. The R side has a similar window on the L side, to the R of which is a single-storey projection in the angle of the court and cell block, with roof concealed behind a freestone parapet. It has 2 iron-framed windows to the front and a doorway in an architrave to the R side wall.

The police station is 2 storeys with attic comprising symmetrical 3-bay range with a lower gabled bay slightly set back to the L, then the 2-storey cell block, also set back and adjoining the court. It is of coursed rock-faced stone with bigger quoins, lighter freestone dressings, and replaced slate roof on corbelled eaves to the main range, moulded eaves to the cell block, which also has a coped gable to the L. The main range has brick end stacks and the cell block has stone end stacks. In the main range the symmetrical bays comprise replaced canted bay windows with central fielded-panel door under an overlight and in a stone surround. In the upper storey are replaced windows in keyed freestone architraves with sill band, while wide roof dormers in the outer bays have 2-light windows. The gabled bay to the L has replaced wide doorway, an added inscription panel and, in the upper storey, a pair of horned sashes comprising 6 over single panes, in a stone architrave with relieving arch. The gable has a dated stone tablet. The cell block has a single cell window in the lower storey with iron-framed glazing behind iron bars. The 4-window upper storey is framed by a string course carrying rusticated angle pilasters, and has 4-pane sash windows. The R gable end and rear are rendered, retaining sash windows in the upper storey, and the cell block has 4 segmental-headed cell windows similar to the front.

In front of the court is a wall of coursed rock-faced stone with coping, swept up to railings in front of the building which have square hollow stanchions. To the sides are gateways with square freestone piers (only a single pier survives on the R side) with deep cornice. The R side has double iron gates, the L side a single iron gate.

Interior

The police court is modernised internally.

Reason for designation

Listed as an early C20 civic building of strong architectural character in a prominent location.