Listed Building record MDR4527 - Magistrates Court, St Mary's Gate, Derby
Type and Period (2)
- COUNTY HALL (Stuart to 21st Century - 1660 AD to 2050 AD)
- CROWN COURT (Georgian to 21st Century - 1829 AD? to 2050 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
SK 35003649. County Hall. (1)
An interesting building dated 1660. (2)
The recessed frontage with courtyard is original. See G.P. AO/66/28/7. (3)
County Hall was built in 1660 and is a building of Classical style with a stone single-storeyed façade set back from the street at the rear of a cour d'honneur, incorporating three large round-headed windows with stone mullioned rectangular frames, pilasters between and Tuscan columns at the corners. There are 2 stone doorcases surmounted by entablatures with segmental pediments and each within voluted broken pediment. The doorways are semi-circular and arched with multi-panelled divided doors, and a moulded eaves cornice surmounted by an open balustrade. The plain Court Room (now the Crown Court) contains a monument to F N Clarage Mundy, with bust, by Chantrey, 1820. The building is believed to be the setting of Betty Sorrel's trial in George Elliot's novel "Adam Bede". Grade I. The Judges' Lodging section of this building were built in 1811 from red brick. They are 3 storeys high with 2 sash windows to each storey, each with triple keyblocks and channelled lintels. There is a stone sill band, moulded stone doorcase with semi-circular head and radial fanlight and a 6-panelled door. The extended façade to the forecourt of County Hall has 7 windows and a doorcase with engaged Tuscan pilasters, a radial fanlight, plain frieze and cornice and a 6-panelled door. There is a moulded eaves cornice and blocking course. The south-western wing of this building, the Police Station, was originally an inn built in the early 18th century from red brick. It is 2 storeys high with 2 modern sash windows to each storey, each with keyblocks and channelled lintels. There is a modern stone plinth and a good moulded panel with the Royal Arms (William III) in a frame between the 1st storey windows. (4)
Archaeological Investigations Ltd was commissioned by HBG Ltd to undertake in 2001/2 archaeological excavation and building recording prior to development on the site of the new Magistrates Court in Derby. As part of this work the historical development of the site was reviewed. The Shire Hall complex in Derby was made up of a variety of buildings of different dates and purposes, centred on the original Shire Hall which was built at the end of the Commonwealth period in the mid-17th century. The buildings represent (or in some cases, represented) the tangible development of the court system in a shire town, beginning with the single building catering for the Nisi Prius and Crown Courts. This was retained as the grand entrance to the purpose-built courts of the early 19th century, which also had their logically planned service wing to the north. These new courts were radically remodelled in the late-19th century, although the service wing remained unaltered. The Judges Lodgings and County Hotel were built at this time, as well as other buildings associated with court business such as the holding cells on Walker Lane and the witness waiting room built against the eastern boundary of the site. The Judges Lodgings were modernised in the late 1930s, and the County Hotel, with stable range behind, was altered in the 1920s and again in the 1950s. In the 1960s about of third of the stable range was demolished. (5)
Derby's impressive Artisan Mannerist Shire Hall was completed in 1660 to designs by George Eaton of Etwall. With its attendant inn of 1798, and Judges Lodgings of 1809-11 by John Welch, this comprises one of the finest legal enclaves in the Midlands, despite the desperately dull additions by the Lord Chancellor's Department and the County Council in 1999-2001. (6)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR11721 Map: OS. 1951. OS Map, scale 1/1250.
- <2> SDR190 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1953. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire, 1st edition. p 117.
- <3> SDR6337 Personal Observation: F1 FRH 29-NOV-66.
- <4> SDR19551 Listed Building File: Historic England. 2011. The National Heritage List for England. List entry numbers 1279174, 1229220, 1229221.
- <5> SDR19997 Unpublished document: Archaeological Investigations (Hereford Archaeology). 2003. Derby Magistrates Court, St Mary's Gate, Derby, Archaeological Excavation, Building Recording and Analyses. Vols. I & II plus Building Recording Survey Figs.. pp 1-1, 8-3.
- <6> SDR20316 Article in serial: Craven, M. 2007. 'Surviving Georgian Derby', Derby Civic Society Newsletter. No. 85, pp 36-39. p 37.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3500 3648 (71m by 87m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DERBY, DERBY, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (3)
- EDR2355
- EDR2356
- EDR1487
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Dec 3 2020 9:43AM