Waterford Courthouse is a judicial facility in Catherine Street,

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, County Waterford, Ireland.

History

The current building is the second courthouse to occupy the site. It replaced a courthouse designed by James Gandon which was constructed in 1784, and occupied the site until roughly 1840. In the 12th century, the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

Priory of St Catherine occupied the site. The courthouse was designed by John B. Keane. The builder was Terence O'Reilly, and was built between 1848 and 1849. The building was originally used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...

, which established county councils in every county, it also became the first meeting place for

Waterford County Council Waterford County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Phort Láirge) was the authority responsible for local government in County Waterford, Ireland. The remit of Waterford County Council also included some suburbs of the Waterford city not within t ...

. It was agreed, however, that subsequent meetings would be held at Dungarvan Courthouse. By the 1970s, the building had fallen into a state of serious disrepair, and in 1977 roughly two-thirds of the original building was demolished. All that was left was the front façade, the "shell" of the two courtooms, and the concourse which linked them. The interior of the courthouse was refurbished in 1980. Extensive refurbishment and expansion of the courthouse began in 2015. As part of these works, a disused fire station was demolished, as was the original 1984 extension of the courthouse. The Waterford Courthouse was officially re-opened by

Charles Flanagan Charlie Flanagan (born 1 November 1956) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois–Offaly constituency since 2020, and previously from 1987 to 2002, 2007 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2020 for the Laois const ...

, Minister for Justice and Equality, in April 2018.

Architecture

Built of ashlar granite, the original courthouse building is in the neoclassical style, and features a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

ed hexastyle Ionic portico. It is similar to in both plan and elevation to Tullamore Courthouse and

Ennis Courthouse Ennis Courthouse ( ga, Teach Cúirte na hInse) is a judicial facility in Gort Road, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. History The courthouse, which was designed by John Keane and Henry Whitestone in the neoclassical style and built in ashlar st ...

, both of which were also designed by Keane. As part of the 2015-2018 renovations, a granite-paved plaza was created on Catherine Street, in place of the old fire station. Originally built with two courtrooms, following the 2015–2018 renovations, the courthouse now contains 6 courtrooms. The building features a four-storey

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

which acts as a rotunda, with entrances to all 6 of the courtrooms accessible from this central space.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Refend Buildings and structures in County Waterford Courthouses in the Republic of Ireland