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1. The History
The Crumlin Road Courthouse was designed by the architect (and one-time Lord Mayor of Belfast) Charles Lanyon and completed in 1850, at a cost of £16,500. It was built in the Neo-Palladian classical style. The courthouse underwent significant alterations and additions by Young and Mackenzie in 1905
Courthouse back in its heyday:
Crum Courthouse 2 by HughieDW, on Flickr
It is situated just across the road from the Crumlin Road Gaol and is linked to by an underground passage. Thousands of republicans and loyalists were tried in the courthouse during the Troubles. Among them is Mr Ervine, now P.U.P. leader and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He was convicted in his early 20s, when he was stopped by the security forces in a car containing a bomb. He was released from jail in 1980.
Sinn Fein’s Martin Meehan has had five High Court trials there. In December 1971, he escaped from the jail after spending six and a half hours down a manhole covered in butter to keep out the cold. In the early 1980s, the courthouse was the scene of a number of infamous supergrass trials, many of which collapsed amid concerns about the credibility of the evidence. And in one 1983 case, 22 IRA suspects were jailed for a total of 4,000 years. Other trials, involving some of Northern Ireland's most horrific cases, including the Shankill Butchers' trial
The courthouse closed in June 1998, after 150 years of continual usage. It was sold to local investor Barry Gilligan in September 2003 for £1. His plans for the courthouse included redeveloping it as a tourist attraction and a hotel but these plans never progressed. Planning permission was previously granted in 2004 to convert it into offices, and then in 2007 to a 161-bedroom hotel.
On 12th March 2009, the courthouse suffered significant damage in a fire and a series of further fires in August 2009 caused further massive damage to the structure, prompting questions into the cause and leaving the future of the building in question.
The courthouse is one of Northern Ireland's best-known listed buildings and has been derelict for 17 years and is in a state of serious disrepair. In March 2017, Lawrence Kenwright, from the Signature Living Group, bought the site and announced plans to develop the listed building into a 60-bedroom hotel, and committed himself to spending £25m on the dilapidated courthouse.
2. The Explore
Well – not a ‘real’ explore to be honest. Just a walk round the perimeter. Was gagging to go inside but just wasn’t practice in the middle of the day. If it didn’t have such a fantastic façade I wouldn’t have bothered doing a report.
3. The Pictures
img0201 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0195 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0194 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0193 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Looks like the scales of justice are long gone!
img0192 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0191 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0189 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0186 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0181 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0180 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0179 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0177 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0176 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0173 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0172 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0170 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0203bwleo by HughieDW, on Flickr
And a couple of the tunnels that go under the Crumlin Road linking prison with courthouse. There are now part of the Gaol which is a tourist attraction:
img0211 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0212 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The Crumlin Road Courthouse was designed by the architect (and one-time Lord Mayor of Belfast) Charles Lanyon and completed in 1850, at a cost of £16,500. It was built in the Neo-Palladian classical style. The courthouse underwent significant alterations and additions by Young and Mackenzie in 1905
Courthouse back in its heyday:
Crum Courthouse 2 by HughieDW, on FlickrIt is situated just across the road from the Crumlin Road Gaol and is linked to by an underground passage. Thousands of republicans and loyalists were tried in the courthouse during the Troubles. Among them is Mr Ervine, now P.U.P. leader and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He was convicted in his early 20s, when he was stopped by the security forces in a car containing a bomb. He was released from jail in 1980.
Sinn Fein’s Martin Meehan has had five High Court trials there. In December 1971, he escaped from the jail after spending six and a half hours down a manhole covered in butter to keep out the cold. In the early 1980s, the courthouse was the scene of a number of infamous supergrass trials, many of which collapsed amid concerns about the credibility of the evidence. And in one 1983 case, 22 IRA suspects were jailed for a total of 4,000 years. Other trials, involving some of Northern Ireland's most horrific cases, including the Shankill Butchers' trial
The courthouse closed in June 1998, after 150 years of continual usage. It was sold to local investor Barry Gilligan in September 2003 for £1. His plans for the courthouse included redeveloping it as a tourist attraction and a hotel but these plans never progressed. Planning permission was previously granted in 2004 to convert it into offices, and then in 2007 to a 161-bedroom hotel.
On 12th March 2009, the courthouse suffered significant damage in a fire and a series of further fires in August 2009 caused further massive damage to the structure, prompting questions into the cause and leaving the future of the building in question.
The courthouse is one of Northern Ireland's best-known listed buildings and has been derelict for 17 years and is in a state of serious disrepair. In March 2017, Lawrence Kenwright, from the Signature Living Group, bought the site and announced plans to develop the listed building into a 60-bedroom hotel, and committed himself to spending £25m on the dilapidated courthouse.
2. The Explore
Well – not a ‘real’ explore to be honest. Just a walk round the perimeter. Was gagging to go inside but just wasn’t practice in the middle of the day. If it didn’t have such a fantastic façade I wouldn’t have bothered doing a report.
3. The Pictures
img0201 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0195 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0194 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0193 by HughieDW, on FlickrLooks like the scales of justice are long gone!
img0192 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0191 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0189 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0186 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0181 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0180 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0179 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0177 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0176 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0173 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0172 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0170 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0203bwleo by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd a couple of the tunnels that go under the Crumlin Road linking prison with courthouse. There are now part of the Gaol which is a tourist attraction:
img0211 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0212 by HughieDW, on Flickr
