The York Courthouse Complex, on Avon Terrace in

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is ...

, was built from 1852 to 1896, and is one of the most significant built sites from a heritage and architectural perspective in the state.

Cell block and police quarters

Ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in United Kingdom, Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. ...

men (as convicts on assigned work duties were called) were frequently reported by their employers for various offences, particularly drunkenness, a common punishment for which was 7 to 14 days in the lock-up. So in 1852, a cell block and police quarters were constructed. These buildings appear on the left hand side of Captain

Edmund Henderson Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson (19 April 1821 – 8 December 1896) was an officer in the British Army who was Comptroller-General of Convicts in Western Australia from 1850 to 1863, Home Office Surveyor-General of Pr ...

’s drawing of York published in ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

'' of 28 February 1857. The lockup is basically as it exists today except for the entrance to the later large exercise yard, and the removal of some interior walls to make larger cells. The cell block was constructed by the 20th Company of

Royal Sappers and Miners The British Army during the Victorian era served through a period of great technological and social change. Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, and died in 1901. Her long reign was marked by the steady expansion and consolidation of th ...

Courthouse

In 1859, what is now called the No. 2 courthouse was added to the complex on the south side of the police station. This courthouse was doubled in size in 1874, the architect being Richard Roach Jewell.

Troopers’ cottage and stables

In 1865, a troopers’ cottage and stables were added on the river side of the cells, and an exercise yard for the cells.

New courthouse and police quarters

In 1895, the old police quarters were demolished a new courthouse and police quarters were constructed in front of the complex along Avon Terrace, at a cost of £3,000.

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...

laid the foundation stone on 24 October 1895, being presented with a "handsome silver trowel suitably inscribed" for the purpose. Forrest noted that the foundation stone "would serve to bring to the minds of future generations a date in the history of Western Australia when the colony had been passing through a period of great commercial and industrial activity as a result of the discovery and rapid expansion of the goldfields". On completion in 1896, these new buildings were regarded unfavourably by the town mainly because of their overly prominent and dominating position in the main street. York residents also objected to the gaol remaining in the centre of the main street. The police quarters ceased to be used in 1981, and the courthouse in 1983 when the complex was acquired by the National Trust of Australia (WA).

Architectural significance

The architect of the front buildings was

George Temple-Poole George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then Pri ...

and the building is in Federation Free Style, a commercial version of

Federation Arts and Crafts Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...

style. The York Post Office, constructed in 1893, and the Courthouse and police station "form one of the finest building groups in the State with great vitality within harmonious unity", according to heritage architect, Ian Molyneux.

Current use

The Courthouse complex is currently used as a commercial art gallery.

Classification

The complex is classified by the National Trust of Australia (5 March 1985), which owns the complex, is recorded on the Aboriginal Sites Register, is permanently on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

(21 March 1978), on the Shire register (31 December 1995), and permanently on the

State Register of Heritage Places The State Register of Heritage Places is the heritage register of historic sites in Western Australia deemed significant at the state level by the Heritage Council of Western Australia. History In the 1970s, following its establishment of the N ...

(16 December 1994).

References

External links

* {{commons-cat-inline

Courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

Avon Terrace, York 1852 establishments in Australia National Trust of Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of York