| Morpeth Court | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Morpeth Court | |
| Location | Castle Bank,Morpeth |
| Coordinates | 55°09′54″N1°41′07″W / 55.1651°N 1.6854°W /55.1651; -1.6854 |
| Built | 1828 |
| Architect | John Dobson |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Court House |
| Designated | 11 August 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1303244 |
  Shown in Northumberland | |
Morpeth Court is a former judicial structure on Castle Bank,Morpeth, Northumberland, England. The structure, which used to be the entrance block for a prison as well as the main courthouse for the area, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
The original custodial facility for the area wasMorpeth Castle which was used for incarcerating criminals from at least the early 16th century. When this arrangement became inadequate, the locallord of the manor,Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, made a site on Bridge Street available and a new prison opened there on 30 November 1704. The Bridge Street Prison was refurbished in 1774 but, by the early 19th century, it was also inadequate and it was converted into a private house.[2]
The proposed layout for the site on Castle Bank involved anoctagonal outer wall, a rectangular prison building at the centre of the site and an entrance block at the front breaking the outer wall at that point. The complex was designed byJohn Dobson in theGothic Revival style, built inashlar stone at a cost of £71,000 and was completed in November 1828.[1] The design of the entrance block involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Castle Bank. The central bay, which was recessed, featured an arched opening on the ground floor, a bi-partitemullioned andtransomed window on the first floor and a panel bearing a carving of the boroughcoat of arms on the second floor. The outer bays, which featuredcanted corners, were fenestrated with small diamond-paned windows on the ground floor,lancet windows on the first floor and pairs of closely-set lancet windows on the second floor. There were towers projecting from the side elevations and the roof was heavilycastellated.[1]
The entrance block contained an imperial staircase leading up to a semi-circular courtroom above.[3] The courtroom was first used for a county meeting to discuss theReform Bill in February 1831 and was first used for thequarter sessions in April 1832.[2] Following the implementation of theCapital Punishment Amendment Act 1868, which abolished the practice ofpublic executions, Richard Charlton, who had been convicted of murdering his wife, became the first person to be executed inside the prison in December 1875.[4] After prisoners were transferred toNewcastle Gaol, which had also been designed by Dobson, the prison closed in 1881.[5] The prison block was demolished in the late 19th century and a police station was built on that part of the site.[6][7]
The entrance block, which became known as The Courthouse, continued to be used as a magistrates' court until hearings moved toBedlington in 1980.[8] It was then sold, for a nominal sum, to a developer who converted it into a nightclub.[9] After the night-club became a magnet for young late-night trouble-makers, it closed in 1990. The courtroom was then used as a ladies-only health club from in 1998 until 2006.[10] The building was marketed for sale in 2007 and subsequently converted into apartments.[11]
Prisons inNorth East England | ||
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| Active |  | |
| Defunct |
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