Description

BRIGHTON

TQ3104SW CHURCH STREET
577-1/40/147 (North side)
27/05/92 No.118
County Court House and attached
walls, piers and railings

II

County Court. 1869. Designed by Sorby; low relief stone
sculpture by Mansel Bailey. Brick in Flemish bond with stone
dressings. Hipped roof of slate. Gothic Revival style.
EXTERIOR: 5-window range; 4- on return; single-storey wall
projection forms diaphragm arch spanning path to public
entrance on return. 2 storeys over basement. Steps up to
segmental, pointed-arch entrance with over- and sidelights;
door of original design. The principal entrance on Church
Street was designed as the Judge's Entrance; it is set in an
aedicule of shallow projection, crenellated, with ornamental
bands and spandrels. To left a pointed, segmental-arched
opening set in wall projection, which is also crenellated and
bears the inscription, County Court; in overarch panel Royal
Arms sculpted in bas relief. Public entrance to large
magistrate's court (see below) on the return, set in a
single-storey extension containing vestibules and another
room; door of original design set in flat-arched opening with
cusped, quadrant corners.
The elevation is asymmetrically arranged: to the left of the
main entrance a pair of triple windows, each light segmental
and pointed arched; between the 2 a shallow buttress with
stone setbacks. An identical triplet to the right of the
entrance. Continuous sill band to first-floor windows which
light offices: in the first 2 ranges there are triplets, each
light with cusped, quadrant corners; single light above
entrance and a pair of double-light windows in 4th- and
5th-window range. All windows having sloping sills, transoms
and moulded mullions. Continuous brick dentil cornice.
The return is arranged more informally than the entrance; of
note is the chimney-breast buttress near the corner. To the
rear the red brick gives way to brown, except for the dentil
cornice which is identical throughout. Traceried lights to
west- and north-facing elevations of rear courtroom. Corner
return stack gone; stone and brick stacks to centre and rear;
that to right party wall a recent restoration.
INTERIOR: room to right of Judge's entrance is Registrar's
Room with a polished stone chimneypiece, and, behind, the
Judge's private room. The room to the left of the Judge's
entrance was the public office, which has been thrown together
with the former High Bailiff's room. Off corridor leading to
rear, an open well, top-lit stair with turned balusters and
chamfered newels. The Court Room to the rear is the principal
interior feature. It is 12.5 x 10.5m, and approached by a
vestibule; 2 entrances from the left, both originally glazed,
one for the public, the other for solicitors or persons having
business in the Court; the portion devoted to the public was
floored with what was then a new patent preparation for the
reduction of sound.
Noteworthy features include: panelled walls; dais to east
wall; all doors original. Strutted collar-beam roof of 4 bays
supported by wood posts rising from heavy stone corbels set at
sill level; ornamental and historiated carving to the corbels.
A smaller court adjoining was for use by the Registrar. One
first-floor room for the use of the High Bailiff, the rest
were occupied by the Chief Clerk, who resided on the premises.
Prior to its completion, the County Court was housed in the
Town Hall, Bartholomews (qv). In recent years, the building
has been partially vacant, the ground floors being used as a
book store and bindery by the Library across Church Street
(qv).
(Brighton Gazette: Brighton: 8 JULY, 1869).

Listing NGR: TQ3124104367

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26660591

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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