Future being planned for historic buildings

A new future for a 150-year-old building, which is steeped in history and described in the records as “one of the finest surviving in Ireland” has moved a step closer to becoming a reality.

Tipperary County Council has confirmed the appointment of a consultant “to look at the redevelopment of the Courthouse and Bridewell Centre” in Newport, which stand adjoining eachother on Jail Street.

Labour councillor, Fiona Bonfield, who has announced the county council decision to appoint a consultant, said that for some time now the community have been asking for some works to be carried out on the historical buildings, and some remedial works were carried out last year on the Courthouse building.

“Stage Two of the plan now is to look at the next phase of development of both the Courthouse and the Bridewell Centre, and the newly appointed consultant will draw up a plan for funding and will be engaging with the local groups in the town to design a comprehensive design,” she said.

“These two beautiful historic buildings will get a new focus of life, which is good news for the town,” she added.

Both are solid stone buildings which have been maintained in a good overall structural condition. Regular monthly sittings of the district court were held at the courthouse up to the third quarter of the last century.

The Bridewell was used for various historical exhibitions and music classes in recent years.

The National Inventory of the Buildings of Ireland states: “The Bridewell at Newport is one of the finest surviving in Ireland. The exterior presents an austere, but not unpleasant appearance. Its interior is notably intact and thus has particular interest for penal history, with the survival of stone stairways and landings supported on decorative brackets. The use of narrow round-headed windows and a turret-like entrance bay to the rear gives the building a somewhat medieval appearance.”

The historical records on the Bridewell date its construction back to around a century and a half ago.

“A plan for the new Bridewell Centre in Newport came to be in existence in 1853 when the Inspector General for Prisons deemed the old one to be ‘total inadequacy’. Although the plan was put forward it was rejected by the Prison Inspectorate as the planned accommodation consisted of only one cell for each sex. As such it would not qualify for certification and could not be forwarded to the Lord Lieutenant for approval.”

A contract for a new Bridewell was finally granted in 1861, designed by the architect at the Inspector Generals’ office. In July, RE Philips, Chairman of the commission, presented the government plan of the new bridewell to the Goreman of the Grand Jury for his signature.

Of its construction it is stated: “In October 1862 the building of the new bridewell was in the process of construction on a green field site overlooking the river not far from the old premises. The site was owned by Sir E Waller. The plans for the courthouse were drawn up by the Office of Public Works.

“By 1863 construction of the bridewell was completed but due to a number of defects identified by the inspectors its certification for use as a prison was withheld. The main defects included: the overall workmanship was inferior, the plastering on the walls was too thin, locks were of the cheapest manufacture and unfit for prison use.

“In June 1865 the prisons inspectors visited again to find that some works had been done to the new building but more were required before it would be certified. More alterations and improvements were carried out in Spring 1866 and that following May the inspector finally agreed to allow prisoners to be transferred to the new building.”

The first full year of use was 1867 and the prison section contained one day room and four cells for males, and one day room and three cells for females. Solid cast iron doors were fitted and each cell had an iron bed. The keepers accommodation contained three rooms above stairs, and a kitchen and hall below. There were 45 committals in the first year of its use, 43 males and two females.