Cork Courthouse ('' ga, Teach Cúirte Chorcaí, Sráid Washington'') is a judicial facility in
Washington Street,
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Ireland. It serves as the Cork Court Office in civil and family related matters, while
the courthouse on Anglesea Street handles criminal trials.
[ ] It operates on the level of both the
District
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
and
Circuit Courts.
The courthouse occupies the entire block between Washington Street, Liberty Street, Cross Street and Courthouse Street.
History
Much of the building's early history has been lost, due to the destruction of records in the great fires of 1891 (the courthouse itself) and 1920 (
Cork City Hall
The City Hall, Cork () is a civic building in Cork, Ireland which houses the administrative headquarters of Cork City Council.
History
The current building is likely the 6th or 7th city hall to have existed in Cork city.
In 1833, the origin ...
). As a result, most surviving primary sources relating to the history of the courthouse tend to have partisan biases.
19th century
Prior to 1835, Cork was served by two courthouses: one for the city, and one for the county. Plans were made to build the courthouse because the old county courthouse was damaged by fire. This original courthouse was described as being in a "decayed and perishing condition" in 1827. Plans for the building of a new courthouse in Cork were being made as early as July 1827. It was the last
assize
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ...
courthouse to be planned in Ireland before
Catholic emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restrict ...
was granted in 1829. In 1829, the
Cork Corporation decided to merge the City and County courthouses, and have them both be serviced by a new development.
A competition for design was held in 1830, which brothers
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
and
George Richard Pain
George Richard Pain (1793 – 26 December 1838) was born into a family of English architects. His grandfather was William Pain, his father James Pain and his brother also James. George Richard served as an apprentice architect to John Nash of ...
won — premiums of
IR£
The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin cir ...
40, £20, and £10 were offered. They were awarded a £16,000 contract. At the time of going to competition, no particular site had been chosen for the courthouse, but the three principal contenders were Nelson Place (now Emmet Place), St. Patrick's Street, and Great George's Street (now Washington street). By late 1829, it was confirmed that the courthouse would be built on Great George's Street. Construction began in 1831, and was completed between 1835 and 1836 at a cost of £22,000 (equal to roughly €3.4 million in 2021). It is thought that James and Thomas Fitzgerald executed the stonework.
Under pressure from the trades' council, the Corporation had included a stipulation in the contract which guaranteed the use of local work in regards to the plumbing and furnishing of the building. It was later revealed, however, that the plumbing contract had been awarded to a Scottish firm, and that many of the establishments providing furniture had evaded the local manufacture clause. While local plumbers failed to find redress, cabinet makers successfully picketed the courthouse and secured the removal of all imported furniture from the building, all of which were substituted with locally crafted items. The
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
used for the portico was cut from stone sourced from Carrigacrump, Cork, while the rest of the limestone was principally sourced from Beaumont and Gillabbey.
The first sitting in this new courthouse was held on 12 March 1836. At this first sitting, the
Hon. Justice Philip Crampton described the courthouse as a "temple suitable to the solemn administration of justice". However, he also complained about the interior design of the building, saying that he had exhausted himself addressing the Grand Jury, due to the distance between them. After it was mostly destroyed by fire in 1891, a town clerk described the courthouse as having been one of the worst of its kind in Ireland, citing in particular the quality of the accommodation and the draughtiness of the building. It was noted by the clerk that some judges preferred to make use of Model Schools, such as the one the
Anglesea Street courthouse now occupies.
After the fire on Good Friday, 27 March 1891, the building was "almost a complete write-off". In the immediate aftermath of the fire, it was suspected that it had been a deliberate act of arson committed by Irish nationalists, though it eventually transpired to have been an accidental fire, which started when the
flue
A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they are ...
of the hot water furnace ignited. Many important historical documents relating to the city of Cork were lost in the blaze. Unlike the rest of the building, the original
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many c ...
survived the fire.
William Henry Hill won the competition for permission to rebuild the courthouse in 1891, with works being completed in 1895. Samuel Hill (no relation) served as the contractor for the reconstruction. While the
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means 'frontage' or ' face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
and portico of the exterior were retained, the interior was completely re-modelled. The copper dome on the top of the courthouse was added at this point. The eventual cost of rebuilding was £27,000.
20th century
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, the back portion of the top floor of the building, previously used exclusively as a courthouse, also became the meeting place for
Cork County Council
Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and com ...
.
On 23 June 1917, 2,000 out of a crowd of 10,000 people escorted Cork's released
Easter Rising prisoners from
Glanmire
Glanmire () is a suburban town from Cork city centre, in the civil parish of Rathcooney, County Cork, Ireland. Glanmire is within the administrative area of Cork City Council and the Dáil constituency of Cork North-Central.
The greater ...
railway station to Cork City. After speeches were given by released prisoners on the
Grand Parade, a crowd of roughly 500 people went to the men's prison on the Western Road, and shouted encouragements to the inmates. They then proceeded to the courthouse, and one man climbed a ladder up to the roof of the building. He ran an
Irish tricolour
The national flag of Ireland ( ga, bratach na hÉireann), frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' () and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of th ...
up the flagpole, before removing the bronze
scales of justice from the statue of Lady Justice that crowns the building's portico. He threw the scales to the street, where they shattered, to the applause of the gathered crowd.
After the county council moved to the
County Hall in 1968, the building continued to function as a courthouse. After the Model School on Anglesea Street was converted to a courthouse in 1995, the courthouse on Washington Street began operating only at the level of the Circuit Court. Owing to its poor condition, the courthouse underwent major refurbishment between 1998 and 2005.
[ ] During this period, a temporary facility was improvised in a refurbished warehouse on Camden Quay, and was rented at a cost of €760,000 per annum. After its closure, the courthouse underwent major refurbishments to save it from dereliction.
The plans for the refurbishment were designed by Michael Russel of the Cork City Architect's Department.
Construction took place over two phases, dealing with the interior and exterior respectively.
The first phase took place in 1998, and involved retouching the stonework, roof, windows, and doors of the courthouse.
[ ] The courthouse was closed in 1999 due to its poor condition.
21st century
The second phase of refurbishments began in 2003, and the interior design of the building was completely overhauled.
The interior work was subcontracted to Conservation, Letterfrack.
As part of their work, Conservation, Letterfrack restored over 200 pieces of furniture, restored and modified four of the seven courtrooms, restored the
baldacchinos in the two primary courthouses, restored the main entrance door, repaired all of the fixed furniture, made the courthouse wheelchair accessible, re-upholstered all of the seating, provided custom made squab cushions, and improved upon existing varnishing of the courthouse interior.
As part of these renovations, what had been an open courtyard in the centre of the courthouse was glazed over at roof level, a glass floor was inserted at the level of the first floor, and the ground floor was lowered by two feet, effectively adding an additional floor to the courthouse,
as well as providing an
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
* Pulmon ...
for the building. The exterior dome also underwent extensive restoration, including being refenestrated and reclad with copper.
Also as part of these refurbishments, a basement corridor, designed to act as a prisoner tunnel, was excavated. As the building lies within the Zone of Archaeological Potential for Cork City, all excavation had to be monitored. The excavations were considered likely to penetrate
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and post-medieval
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
, in particular it was expected that part of the city's medieval wall would be encountered during excavation. It was discovered, however, that most of the medieval stratigraphy had been disturbed by the construction of the courthouse foundations in the 19th century, and no trace of the medieval wall was found. The courthouse reopened on 31 January 2005, though the official re-opening took place on 26 February.
Michael Lowry
Michael Lowry (born 13 March 1953) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications fro ...
, the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform officially reopened the courthouse.
In total, €26 million was spent restoring the courthouse. The restorative works carried out on the courthouse were the most extensive in Ireland since the
Four Courts
The Four Courts ( ga, Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit ...
was reconstructed following its near destruction during the
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
.
After the re-opening of the courthouse, it was announced that it would begin hosting sessions of the
Central Criminal Court.
Although criminal cases have been heard at the new Anglesea Street courthouse since May 2018, civil cases continue to be heard in Washington Street.
Architecture

The building measures 280 feet in length by 190 feet in depth and is 66 feet tall. It fills a one acre site, and has a basement, ground, and first floor. Railings once separated the courthouse from the street, though these were removed in the early 1960s.
According to Dr. Richard Butler, author of "''Building the Irish Courthouse and Prison: A Political History, 1750–1850''", the courthouse on Washington Street represents the culmination of an architectural period "marked by
Morrison's">illiam VitruviusMorrison's introduction of a new design in 1826–7, through to Westenra's excitement and anxiety in
Monaghan
Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and barony.
The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7,678. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Letterken ...
in 1827, and to the design's full realisation at
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Coun ...
,
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.
The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...
, and finally Cork". It is described by Frank Keohane, author of the Cork City and County edition of the
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published ...
, as "the of Cork's Late Georgian golden age."
Exterior
The exterior of the building was largely designed in the
neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
, and is built in
ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitr ...
limestone. There is a flight of steps on three sides leading up to a full
Corinthian order octastyle portico, with two
intercolumniation
In architecture, intercolumniation is the proportional spacing between columns in a colonnade, often expressed as a multiple of the column diameter as measured at the bottom of the shaft. In Classical, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture, int ...
s at each return. The only other example of an octastyle portico in Ireland is at Carlow Courthouse, which was designed by Morrison. There is a front range of columns which projects twenty feet from the building, and which support an
entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
and a
modillion
A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). Al ...
ed
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 ...
. The building is circumscribed by a deep
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
. The columns themselves, being
unfluted, are not of Corinthian order, but are more similar to
Tuscan order
The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but with u ...
columns. The columns are 30 feet high, and are built on a platform six feet above the level of the street. The platform is approached by a flight of eleven steps. Corinthian
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s divide the recessed
bays
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
flanking the portico, as well at both the east and west side of the building, where the first two bays at either end are three storey. The north façade breaks from the Corinthian style of the rest of the exterior, and is of no particular style.
There is a group of sculptures by
Thomas Kirk on top of the pediment, consisting of female representations of either
Hibernia
''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...
flanked by
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
and
Commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...
,
[ ] or of Justice flanked by Law and Mercy. The pediment itself is inscribed with the words "WILLIAM IV KING". Behind the portico, there is a copper-coated dome which is set with windows.
[ ] Subsidiary double-pitched slate roofs are set between the main blocks.
Interior
After the fire in 1891, the interior was remodelled in an Early Renaissance style.
The
arcaded
An arcade is a succession of contiguous arches, with each arch supported by a colonnade of columns or piers. Exterior arcades are designed to provide a sheltered walkway for pedestrians. The walkway may be lined with retail stores. An arcade may ...
, three-storey foyer is crowned by the dome. It features both marble pilasters and marble piers at both the ground and first floor. On each floor stand pilasters of a different order:
Doric Doric may refer to:
* Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece
** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians
* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture
* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode
* Doric dialect (Scotland)
* Doric ...
on the ground floor, Corinthian on the first floor, and
Ionic on the second floor. The main staircase is located in the inner hall, and gives access to the first floor.
On the first floor are the two main courtrooms, originally hosting the City Court in the east wing and the County Court in the west wing. Both courtrooms are double height. These rooms retain some of the features of their 1890s construction, including wooden architraves and mouldings, along with cast-iron Ionic columns. Both have timber panelling to door height on three sides. The original timber, leather-upholstered seating has been kept, along with timber panelled doors, moulding, and architrave. Some of these have timber pediments.
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
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Buildings and structures in Cork (city)
Courthouses in the Republic of Ireland