Police Station and Magistrates Court, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland

Description

622/0/10113 CHURCH STREET
12-AUG-10 BERWICK
POLICE STATION AND MAGISTRATES COURT

II
Law court and police station 1899-1900 to designs by Robert Burns Dick of Newcastle

MATERIALS: ashlar sandstone to front, rock faced sandstone plinth and snecked sandstone to rear elevation; slate roof.

PLAN: rectangular with tower at left fronting onto Castle Street, on a site which slopes to the right

EXTERIOR:
Main (west) elevation has five-bays and two-storeys with the fifth-bay formed by a three-stage stair tower. The ground-floor of the latter has an entrance with wooden double doors and a bracketed arched hood on raised columns; the word 'MAGISTRATES' above indicating the magistrates entry to the first-floor court. The tall second stage has paired slits and the upper stage has short columns supporting a high domed pyramidal roof. To the right is a three-bay section with a central entrance in a Gibbs Surround with segmental hood and lettering reads 'POLICE' over indicating the entrance to the police station. Ground-floor windows in this section are mullioned with half glazing bars, and first-floor windows are similar with slightly bowed fronts. The wide right end bay projects and has a ground floor mullioned window (formed of Doric columns), a bracketed niche at first floor (statue missing) level and a shaped pediment bearing the carved Berwick coat of arms.

Right Return: police entrance to the court, with a bracketed segmental arched hood, three-light mullioned windows above and oriel window to the left. To the right the domestic character of the former Superintendent's house is clear, with hipped roofs and plain two-pane horned sash windows. Later extensions to the left end and rear are not of special interest.

INTERIOR:
Ground-floor: original double doors give entry to the police station. There are three original cells with original doors remaining accessed off an original, truncated corridor. The remainder of the police station layout has been altered.

First-floor: the court retains its original layout with a rear court room and offices to the front, off a large hall accessed by the main stair from Church Street. The stair continues to the upper floor and former gallery with metal balusters and a ramped wooden hand rail. The court offices retain original ceilings above suspended ceilings and their original layout is largely retained. Original features include decorative window arches, panelling and arched entrances to adjacent rooms. The court room, with an open pediment, has pitch pine panelled walls to dado level and above this they are divided by Ionic pilasters between paired windows with Doric columns. There is a segmental panelled plaster ceiling. Other fixtures and fittings, including original desks and benches are also of pitched pine. A raised Magistrates' bench is situated at the west end with an ornate wooden canopy carried on Doric columns bearing the Berwick coat of arms; the former public gallery has been removed and the space partially infilled, and the original central dock has been replaced by a modern example set to one side

HISTORY: this police station and magistrates court was constructed between June 1899 and 1901 to designs by the architect Robert Burns-Dick (1868-1959). His design was selected through a competition in May 1898 from a total of 37 schemes. The contractors were Messrs. Bruce and sons of Kelso and the masons were Messrs. Forrest of Edinburgh; all other trade and craftsmen were from Berwick and Tweedmouth. The building was ventilated by means of a fan driven by a gas powered hot air engine. Original plans depict the layout with a ground floor police station and a first floor court; there is a Superindent's house to the rear, and a large open space (for drill and recreational purposes). The building was formerly opened on 31st May 1901 by the Mayor, Magistrates and Town Council after a municipal procession.

The architect, Robert Burns-Dick, son of a Newcastle innkeeper and brewer's agent, entered into partnership in 1898 with James Cackett. Together they have more than 20 listed buildings to their name (mostly in the north-east) and were responsible for several local landmarks including;the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1903-4; the towers of the Tyne Road Bridge, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1924-8; and Spanish City, Whitley Bay (1908-10. All are listed at Grade II. The partnership also designed the Grade II* listed police station and court in Newcastle (1931-3. Outside the north-east, Burns-Dick designed the Grade II listed police station and court in Warrington (1889-1900).

SOURCES
McCombie, G `Survey of Berwick upon Tweed' Unpublished Buildings Report for Northumberland County Council, (2003)
Pevsner N, The Buildings of England: Northumberland 2nd Ed Grundy et al (1992), 181
Usherwood, P et al Public Sculptures of North East England (2000), 319
Berwick Advertiser, The New Police Station And Lock Up (27 May 1898, 5)
Berwick Advertiser, 'The New Police Court And Lock Up At Berwick: Description of the Building' (31 May 1901)
Original Building Plans: LB1/90 Berwick Archives

Police station and magistrates court, Church Street, Berwick-upon-Thames, constructed at the turn of the C20 to designs by Robert Burns-Dick, is designated for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural: a distinctive and well designed example of a purpose-built, late C19 law court and police station
* Planning: it is a well planned multi-functional building displaying external and internal consistency and one in which its functions are clearly differentiated
* Decoration and symbolism: the building displays external and internal symbolic quality reflecting its aspirations and prestige within the community it serves.
* Intactness: the exterior of the building is largely intact, and, while some losses are inevitable in this building type, the first-floor court is mostly intact
* Designer: it was designed by a highly respected regional architect, whose partnership has c. 20 listed buildings to its name.

Reasons for Listing

Yes List

External Links

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