Wexford Courthouse is a judicial facility on Belvedere Road in Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland. It is at least the fourth building to have served as Wexford Courthouse.

Wexford Courthouse
Wexford Courthouse
Wexford Courthouse is located in Ireland
Wexford Courthouse
Wexford Courthouse
Location within Ireland
General information
Architectural styleNeo-Georgian style
AddressWexford, County Wexford
CountryIreland
Coordinates52°20′21″N 6°28′24″W / 52.3393°N 6.4732°W / 52.3393; -6.4732
Completed1866 (Tate School), 2018 (Courthouse)

History edit

A previous courthouse, located on Commercial Quay, was designed by Sir Richard Morrison in 1803,[1] and was completed in 1806, before undergoing further renovations in 1807.[2] This building was burnt down by the I.R.A. in 1921.[3]

In 1925 Wexford Gaol was converted into a county hall and courthouse. A detached, five-bay, three-storey over basement building, the rear windows of the gaol featured granite Gibbs surrounds. A castellated Gothic screen and gateway serves as the entrance to this building's grounds. The jury room and the judges' chambers were renovated in 1995.[4]

The current courthouse building, originally an educational establishment, was built between 1864 and 1866 and opened as the Tate School in March 1867.[5] This building was designed by architect Sandham Symes.[6] After the school got into financial difficulties and closed in 1949, the building was acquired by Wexford Corporation in 1950, at a cost of IR£5,000.[5] After Wexford Corporation relocated from Wexford Town Hall,[7] it served as the offices of Wexford Corporation until 2007.[8] It was subsequently sold to the Courts Service for conversion into a courthouse to replace the aging courthouse on Hill Street which had been built in 1930.[9] The building underwent extensive renovations and extensions, which were completed in December 2017, and represented an almost ten-fold increase in the size of the building.[10][11] The court commenced sitting on 23 January 2018,[11] and it was officially re-opened as a courthouse by Charles Flanagan, Minister for Justice and Equality, and Frank Clarke, Chief Justice of Ireland, in February 2018.[12]

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Dunne & Phillips 1999, p. XII.
  2. ^ "Co. Wexford, Wexford, Commercial Quay, County Court House". Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720–1940. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Carty, Francis". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. ^ Dunne & Phillips 1999, p. 326.
  5. ^ a b "Wexford Courthouse" (PDF). Courts Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Tate School, Davitt Road North originally Wygram Place, TOWNPARKS (ST. JOHN'S PARISH), Wexford, WEXFORD". Buildings of Ireland. 7 July 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Visiting Wexford's new library for the first time since it opened". Patrick Comerford. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  8. ^ "€10 million courthouse is close to completion". Wexford People. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Council officially open new €46m headquarters". The Independent. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Wexford Courthouse, Co Wexford | Wejchert Architects". www.wejchert.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Minister Flanagan officially opens new Wexford courthouse". justice.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Opening of Wexford Courthouse – Courts Bundle PPP". BAM Ireland. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2019.

Sources edit

  • Dunne, Mildred; Phillips, Brian (1999). The Courthouses of Ireland: A gazetteer of Irish courthouses. Kilkenny: The Heritage Council. pp. 326–327. ISBN 1-901137-13-9.