Sessions House, Usk

The Sessions House at Usk, Wales, is a Victorian courthouse by Thomas Henry Wyatt of 1877.[1] The building was opened by Samuel Richard Bosanquet, of Dingestow Court, then Chairman of the Monmouthshire Quarter Sessions.[2] It is a Grade II* listed building as of 4 January 1974.[3]

Sessions House
General information
StatusGrade II* listed
Town or cityUsk
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates51.7001°N 2.9010°W / 51.7001; -2.9010
Construction started1875
Completed1878
ClientMonmouthshire Quarter Sessions
Design and construction
ArchitectThomas Henry Wyatt

The court is of mauve sandstone with dressings of Bath stone.[1] It is of five bays, with a cornice, parapet[4] and balustraded terrace.[3] It originally contained two courtrooms but Court Number 1 was gutted by fire in 1944 and was not re-built.[2] Court Number 2 "survives little altered."[1] "There is an impressive judge’s chair and the benches retain their original labels for Counsel, Solicitors, Reporters, Jury etc."[2] A passage under the dock leads through to Usk Prison which stands next door.[2]

The Sessions House saw two major nineteenth century trials: those of Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda,[2] a prominent suffragette; and of Josef Garcia, a Spanish seaman, who was tried and convicted of the murder of William and Elizabeth Watkins of Llangybi and of their three youngest children Charlotte, Alice and Frederick in 1878.[2]

The building was purchased by Usk Town Council to mark the Millennium, and it is now used as the town hall and for community use.

Notes
  1. The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, p. 593
  2. "Sessions House". Usktown.co.uk. 2008-12-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  3. Good Stuff IT Services (1974-01-04). "The Sessions House including balustraded terrace. – Usk – Monmouthshire – Wales". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  4. "Maryport Street, Sessions House, Usk | Site Details". Coflein. Retrieved 2012-02-12.

Bibliography
  • John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, p. 593 ISBN 0-14-071053-1
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