Berry Courthouse
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| Berry Courthouse | |
|---|---|
  Location of Berry Courthouse in New South Wales  Berry Courthouse (Australia) | |
| Location | 58 Victoria Street, Berry, City of Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°46′39″S 150°41′36″E / 34.7774°S 150.6933°E |
| Built | 1890–1891 |
| Architect | James Barnet |
| Owner | Shoalhaven City Council |
| Official name | Berry Courthouse |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 15 July 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1736 |
| Type | Courthouse |
| Category | Law enforcement |
| Builders | Antonio and Peter Ettinghausen |
Berry Courthouse is a heritage-listed former courthouse and now function venue at 58 Victoria Street, Berry, in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by James Barnet and built from 1890 to 1891 by Antonio and Peter Ettinghausen. The property is owned by Shoalhaven City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 15 July 2005.[1]
The land for the Berry Courthouse was offered as a gift by David Berry sometime prior to July 1889. The offer was conditional on a signed agreement that the building would be of a scale considered appropriate by Berry. The Department of Justice considered Berry's ideas be too grand and the donation of land was delayed. Just before he died in 1889 Berry finally signed the deed of conveyance transferring ownership of the land to the Government of New South Wales. By July 1889 an amount of £1500 had been approved for the new courthouse and the paperwork forwarded to the NSW Public Works Department.[1]
The courthouse design has been attributed to James Barnet, who was Colonial Architect in 1889, but no original drawings can be located. The courthouse appears to have been built in the centre of the site, as were most of Barnet's designs "isolated from surrounding buildings and well set back with plenty of grounds and with landscaping to match."[1]
Tenders for the construction of the courthouse were invited and advertised in the Government Gazette on 21 March 1890. On 17 June 1890 the tender (£1,593/10/00) of A & P Ettinghausen was accepted. Antonio and Peter Ettinghausen were local tradesmen and Peter was also the local undertaker, so it is quite possible that he was the partner responsible for the fine cedar fittings and woodwork.[1]
Progress of the building was recorded in The Shoalhaven News of 15 August 1891:[1]
- "The new courthouse, erected by townsman Ettinghausen, will be ready for occupation in a few weeks time. The "agony" room is spacious, being 35 feet long, 26 feet wide most horrible-looking arrangement, in fact more uninviting than the one at Darlinghurst. The cost of the building is near £1700."[1]
The building was completed in 1891 at a cost of £1,658/10/7 and was one of 25 new government buildings erected during that year.[1]
The courthouse was also used for civic occasions such as the Governor's reception by the Berry Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1893. The Governor, Lord Jersey was welcomed to Berry at the Courthouse before proceeding to the showground for the official 1893 Agricultural Society Show opening ceremony.[1]
In 1894 the Courthouse Gardens were further developed with 54 trees (unspecified species) and 48 shrubs, issued by the Royal Botanical Gardens to be planted in the Berry Courthouse grounds in August 1894. Apparently the area around the Courthouse was fenced sometime after March 1896.[1]
A new judges' bench and canopy were installed c. 1960.[1]
The Court of Petty Sessions in Berry was abolished on 30 July 1988. The back rooms of the courthouse were then used as a police station until 1994. On 24 September 1994 Elders Real Estate at Berry auctioned the courthouse on behalf of the Department of Courts Administration (Justice Department). Prior to the auction the Department of Justice removed most of the internal moveable cedar fittings, including the jury box, seating and railings.[1][2]
Anthony A. Graham purchased the courthouse on 24 February 1995. Sometime between February 1995 and July 1999 some of the remaining cedar fittings were removed from the interior of the courthouse to give more access to floor space.[1]
The courthouse was purchased by the Shoalhaven City Council four years later on 14 July 1999. The purchase of the property by the council was strongly influenced by an extensive community consultation program and lobbying by local Berry residents. The Berry Courthouse Conservation Committee Inc was formed after the purchase of the property, and leases the property from Shoalhaven City Council.[1]
The courthouse is now used as a venue for weddings and other functions.[2]
Description
The courthouse is positioned in the centre of its block of land, isolated from surrounding buildings. It is well set back in its landscaped surrounds and is a simple, representative courthouse building constructed of local materials, rendered inside and out with fine cedar fittings in the Victorian Classical Academic style.[1]
Four classical columns of modified Doric form (without entasis) support the portico, which features a wrought iron railing of unusual design. The Royal Coat of Arms sits inside the expression of the pediment above three small rectangular clerestory windows which reflect the division of the facade into three bays. Simple overhung sash windows light the interior; four on either side and one on either side of the main entrance. A simple moulded stringcourse links the line of the portico/porch to the side walls and minor structures to the rear.[1]
Building materials used in the courthouse include the dressed sandstone detailing, brick chimney details and timber panelled doors and timber double hung on the exterior. Interior elements include the timber panel joinery details of the original building, original timber doors, architraves, and oval louvred vent.[1]
The building was reported to be in good to very good condition as of 20 January 2005. The building has been well maintained throughout its life as a courthouse, and restorative work completed in 2000–2001 included repair of slate entrance steps, removal of intrusive interior additions.[1]
The Berry Courthouse is also significant because of its survival, almost completely intact, over a period of more than a century. There is also recorded evidence of the fittings of a typical country courthouse.[1]
