Beaumaris Courthouse, Beaumaris, Isle of Anglesey

History

A courthouse built in 1614, when the building comprised the main range with a porch set at a splayed angle. The building was enlarged in the early C19 by adding a polygonal grand jury room at the E end, short transepts, housing a petty jury room on the N side, and utilitarian additions, including the heightening of the porch to create a records room above it. These additions are shown on the 1829 town plan and are mentioned by Samuel Lewis in 1833 as the result of recent improvement. By this time the building was also used as the County Hall. Later additions included a cell for defendants. Interior plan and furnishing, partly of the C17 and also of the C19, retains its C19 form. It remained an assize court until 1971, thereafter has been only a magistrate's court, and is now retained as a museum.

Exterior

A courthouse mainly in early C19 Gothic style and comprising the main single-storey courthouse, a 2-storey SW porch and other minor additions on the S side, transepts and a polygonal E end. Walls are rendered and painted white. The roof is slate and has rendered stacks to the SW porch and N transept. Most windows have wooden shutters and have small-pane hornless sash windows with Gothic intersecting glazing bars.

Facing Mona Place to the E is a large 3-light elliptical window with broad wooden intersecting mullions and sashes. In the gable is a tablet with '1614' in raised numerals, with drip mould and sill. The SW porch has higher eaves but a lower ridge than the main range. A wide segmental-headed doorway is in a dressed stone surround, and has an original door with strap hinges and studs. The L side wall has a square-headed 2-light ovolo-mullioned window, partly renewed, and sash window above. Set back on the R side of the porch is an outshut (housing a room for defendants) with paired 8-pane hornless sashes, splayed angle and narrow horned sash in the return wall with iron bars. Set back further R a lean-to has a single small window, above which the courtroom has a fixed small-pane window with Gothic glazing bars. The S transept has a sash window, and a lean-to porch with studded door on the L side, for the entry of witnesses and reporters. Further R is the grand jury room, which has a gabled and pedimented S porch, double panelled doors and overlight painted over. A lean-to on its L side has a small-pane horizontal-sliding sash window.

The polygonal E end has round-headed windows, and the NE facet continues to the N transept, forming a robing room of roughly triangular internal plan, with single window. The N transept has a segmental-headed studded door, a window to its L and small stair light above. The R side wall has small-pane sash windows in both storeys, under a gable in the upper storey (and replacing a 4-pane sash shown in a photograph of 1937). The N side of the courtroom has paired sashes.

Interior

From the entrance lobby to the SW wing the entrance to the courtroom is through a segmental dressed-stone arch with hood mould. On the R side of the entrance is a corridor to 3 small rooms, including the defendant's room.

The main range has a 4-bay roof, of which the 3 bays on the W side have hammer-beam trusses on brackets. The E end, over the judge's bench, has a plaster wagon roof and round roof light with star-pattern glazing. Behind the judge's bench is a partition of fielded panels, and ribbed coving with Jacobean arcaded frieze and a modern Royal Arms. Across the courtroom is an early C19 screen of iron railings, separating the public space from the court officials. Within the public space is a flagstone floor and a private box, with wooden steps, panelled sides and sounding board, for the mayor. Beyond the screen is the dock, of panelled wood with iron railings, and slightly raised stalls to the sides for police guards. Around three sides are the reporters bench with higher witness box, lawyers' bench opposite, and judge's bench, all panelled but of various dates. On the N side of the court is a gallery, supported on a cast iron column to the L side, with panelled front, to the jurors' bench. Beneath and behind the gallery is a plain stair with winders at the base, with square newel and plain balusters. A doorway leads from the bottom into the robing room.

At the W end of the courtroom are wooden steps to the records room above the entrance. This retains panelled cupboards, and a C19 cast-iron fireplace with slate and wood-panelled surround.

The grand jury room can be entered from the partition in the courtroom, but also directly from outside, where the S entrance opens to a small lobby and then the grand jury room proper. It retains panelled door with panelled reveals, a moulded sill band and window surrounds. Ribbed coving is arched to a flat ceiling, and has bosses with various heads. A fireplace has a stone surround with Gothic panels.

Reasons for Listing

Listed grade II* as an especially fine courthouse in a prominent location, retaining important features of the C17 and C19, and for its contribution to the setting of Beaumaris Castle and to the historical integrity of Castle Street.

External Links

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