The Albany Courthouse is found in the Albany Courthouse Complex, also known as the Albany Justice Complex, which is a series of buildings situated on Stirling Terrace and Collie Streets in Albany in the Great Southern region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Heritage buildings found on the site include the Albany Courthouse, Gaolkeepers House and Residence 1845. The courthouse was designed by

George Temple-Poole George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then Pri ...

and built by Charles Layton. It was decided to build the courthouse on the site of the old state school, which had to be demolished. Building commenced in 1896 with the laying of the foundation stone on 29 December 1896 by Frederick Piesse. The building was to take nine months to complete but was delayed in 1897 when the supply of bricks was exhausted. Construction was completed on 7 February 1898 and the building was opened the acting

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, Edward Wittenoom. It is a two storey building made from

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

and red brick with rounded front corners and granite arched convolute doorways. The roof is covered with grey tiles with brick chimneys which have terracotta tops. The building initially also contained a police station and later for offices for the Public Works Department. The court was the most expensive of the regional courts built during the gold boom, only Geraldton and Coolgardie courts, that were combined with other Government offices, having grander buildings. Even the courts in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

had to wait until 1903 to outshine the Albany building when the Supreme Court building was completed. In 1908 a lockup and keeper's residence were constructed behind the court; in 1920 an internal wall was removed on the ground floor between offices for batter access for the

clerk of courts A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

. A garage and wood shed were added in 1945 and the building was connected to the town sewer system in 1957. Following the construction of a new police station in 1966 the police offices were taken over by the

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

. A major renovation was carried out in 1978 with a second court room being added and the offices being redesigned. File:Albany_courthouse_and_rainbow.jpg, From the rear - the building in 2016 File:Albany Courthouse.jpg, Albany Courthouse early 1900s File:Dieu et mon droit motto.JPG, Royal coat of arms and ''

Dieu et mon droit (, fro, Deu et mon droit), which means "God and my right", is the motto of the monarch of the United Kingdom. It appears on a scroll beneath the shield of the version of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The motto is said to have first ...

'' motto near entrance

References

External links

{{commonscat-inline George Temple-Poole buildings Western Australian courts and tribunals Heritage places in Albany, Western Australia Stirling Terrace, Albany State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Albany

See also

References

External links