County Hall, Coventry

County Hall is a historic former courthouse in Coventry's Cathedral Quarter. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

County Hall
County Hall on Cuckoo Lane is now a bar
General information
LocationCathedral Quarter, Coventry
Coordinates52.4080°N 1.5086°W / 52.4080; -1.5086
Opened1783
Technical details
Floor count2
Design and construction
ArchitectSamuel Eglinton

History
The interior of the bar, showing the preserved aspects of the courthouse.

The building, which was designed by Samuel Eglinton, opened in 1783.[2] Land adjacent to the building was used as a gaol; the Prison Governor's House is still attached to the building.[3] It is thought that the building may have been a second guildhall in Coventry, in addition to St Mary's Guildhall.[4] Coventry ceased to be a county in its own right under the Boundary Act 1847.[5]

It continued to be used as a county court. Its most notable case was in 1849 which resulted in the hanging of Mary Ball (who had been found guilty of poisoning her husband) outside the court - the last person to be hanged there,[6] which had over 20,000 spectators.[7]

The courts moved to their current site on Much Park Street in 1988 and the building lay empty until it was bought for use as a bar in 2000. The interior was redesigned although aspects of the courthouse such as the judge's chair and public gallery were left untouched.[5]

See also

References
  1. "County Hall, Coventry". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  2. Shoker, Sandish (28 May 2012). "Order! Bar opens in Coventry's old court house and jail". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  3. "Heritage and history". Coventry Society. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  4. "Dig For History, Urges Enthusiast". Coventry news. 14 August 2000. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  5. "Order! Bar opens in Coventry's old court house and jail". Coventry Telegraph. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  6. "Welcome to the Establishment". Coventry Society. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  7. Goulden, Barbara (15 January 2000). "Old jail will have clink of glasses". Coventry Evening Telegraph.
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