Downpatrick Courthouse to get external upgrade work

Downpatrick Courthouse to get external upgrade work

9 February 2022

DOWNPATRICK Courthouse is in line for a significant external makeover.

Plans have been unveiled to clean the historic English Street building constructed in 1735 and designed by Dubliner Hugh Darling.

The Northern Ireland Court Service is seeking listed building consent to carry out the work but the external makeover does not include repainting wrought iron railings which surround the courthouse, many of which are showing signs of decay and badly affected by rust.

Details of the planned work are contained in Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s latest planning application schedule which has been made public.

It reveals that the external work includes cleaning stone elevations and the front entrance steps and repainting stone window surrounds and banding.

A plinth on the front and side elevations will also be repainted with minor repairs to the centuries-old stonework, while permission is also being sought to sand back and repaint exterior window frames and doors.

Failed mortar joints and cracks will be repointed while localised repairs to stonework also feature in the external upgrade with a full clean ordered to avoid any future deterioration of the masonry as well as improving the appearance of the building.

Papers submitted as part of the planning application say the proposed work will restore the stonework to its original condition, while sympathetically removing foreign bodies such as vegetation growth and pollution staining.

No chemicals will be used to clean the courthouse and care will be taken not to over clean the stonework, but simply remove damaging staining and deposits. 

The stonework will be gently steam cleaned to prevent damage with superheated water vapour able to remove paint, moss, algae, fungi and other biological matter and also kill off spores.

Once cleaned, the exterior surface will dry within minutes, preventing any long-term damage as a result of trapped moisture. Scaffolding will be erected to assist with the cleaning process at the courthouse which while constructed in 1735 in the Neoclassical style, was substantially rebuilt in 1855 following a major fire. 

The design and access statement submitted in tandem with the application for listed building consent adds: “We envisage that these works will have no negative impact on the architectural and historic interest of this building.

“The works proposed will be sympathetic in nature and will only seek to improve the aesthetic of the building, whilst  restoring its historical and architectural features back to its original condition.”

The Court Service has confirmed that it is not in a position to estimate how much the work will cost but hopes that the move to spruce up the courthouse can begin in the new financial year.

Confirmation of the proposed spruce-up comes a year after a local politician called for tourist signs in English Street — one of the town’s most visited locations — to be either cleaned or replaced.

The signs directing visitors to Down Cathedral and St Patrick’s Grave are barely readable after being battered by the elements over many years.

Similar signs at the bottom of English Street are also weather beaten with Cllr Dermot Curran, calling for them to be replaced.

He said given that tourism is the district’s number one product, it is vital that visitors are provided with all the information and directions that they require.

Cllr Curran is pleased that the courthouse is in line for an external makeover as it is one of a number of key buildings, alongside the Down County Museum and Down Cathedral, at a historic part of Downpatrick which is included in the town’s conservation area.

“It appears that great care will be taken to clean the exterior of the courthouse which is one of the district’s most familiar buildings,” he continued. “It has stood the test of the time and the planned work will keep it looking its very best for many, many more years to come.”

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Courts Service has confirmed that there is no definitive date for the start of “aesthetic improvement works” at the courthouse. 

“While it is hoped that these works will be taken forward during 2022/23, the programme and costs are subject to procurement and availability of budget. Repair work to the perimeter railings is not included in the current phase of works.”