Crumlin Road Courthouse Information Booklet

CRUMLIN ROAD COURTHOUSE

Manifesto This Thesis Project will engage with the abandoned Crumlin Road Courthouse in order to reclaim it for the citizens of Belfast. This prominent building under current conditions can not be redeveloped due to its current state of decay making it uneconomical to redevelop despite being sold for £1. This thesis project unfolds within a hypothetical scenario marked by a recent incident of arson and vandalism, resulting in severe damage to the rear section of the building. Flipping the capitalist thinking on its head turning this previously private locked up government building into a non profit commodity all for the people.

Plan of the Present Work The courthouse is located on Crumlin Road opposite the Crumlin Road Gaol to the northwest of Belfast City Centre. The building is bounded by Crumlin Road to the north and Hopewell Avenue to the south. The courthouse is located within a modern residential area with civic amenity buildings interspersed amongst the modern semi-detached dwellings.

The Crumlin Road Courthouse was designed by

intact. The Courthouse served as the main

attraction and a hotel but these plans never

the architect, Charles Lanyon and completed

Crown Court for Belfast, with a below-ground

progressed. Planning permission was previously

in 1850, at a cost of £16,500. It was built in the

tunnel used to transfer prisoners between the

granted in 2004 to convert it into offices, and

Neo-Palladian classical style. The courthouse

courthouse and Crumlin Road Gaol.

then in 2007 to a 161-bedroom hotel but these

underwent significant alterations and additions by

The building closed in June 1998, after 150 years

never materialised.

Young and Mackenzie in 1905. The remodelling

of continual usage, following a feasibility study

was aimed at enlarging the building as it had

in 1993 which concluded that extending and

been criticised for being insufficient in size to

refurbishing the building to make it appropriate

deal with the increasing population of Belfast.

for modern use would cost too much. Despite the

The remodelling led to a change of footprint of

closure of the courthouse in 1998 the building

the building with the building’s footprint forming

continues to be utilised for public events, having

a stepped-in T-shape fronting onto Crumlin

been used as a theatre in the early 2000s.

Road. The remodelling involved the construction

It was sold to local investor Barry Gilligan

of two wings, despite the extension the majority

in September 2003 for £1. His plans for the

of Lanyon’s early Victorian courthouse remained

courthouse included redeveloping it as a tourist

Fires On March 12, 2009, something quite puzzling happened to the courthouse – it was engulfed in a mysterious fire, causing significant damage.

As if that wasn’t enough, a few months later in August 2009, a series of additional fires broke out, dealing even more massive blows to the building’s structure. Despite facing these unusual and destructive fires, the courthouse still stands and refusing to crumble. It’s almost as if the building has a will of its own, a resilient spirit that defies the odds and protects it from total destruction.

The courthouse remains one of Northern Ireland’s best-known listed buildings. The Courthouse is listed as a grade B plus. Weathering and further degradation of the historic fabric both internally and externally such that the building as a whole is in very poor structural condition making it very expensive to refurbish and economically unvaible.

Crumlin Road Community Hub This Thesis project will take this listed courthouse

The main function will be a library, inspired by

in a secure place. The market will encourage

building and bring it back to life despite it being

the anarchy spaces featured in Paul Dobraszczyk

economic exchange within the community,

economically unvaible. Where else do you find a

book ‘Architecture and Anarchism: Building

fostering self-sustainability and cooperation.

building like this in Belfast, a building that sold

without authority’. Despite the anarchic nature,

The multifunctional space will support emerging

for £1 but still cant be developed as it is too

individuals voluntarily still choose to build and

musicians and artists, providing a platform for

expensive. This an be seen exactly like the other

maintain a library—a testament to the value

creativity to thrive. These areas can be adapted

examples in Detroit and Slab City. This building

we place on intellectual freedom and shared

to accommodate a variety of activities, from art

will be reclaimed for the people. The collage to

learning. The building will also serve as a haven

exhibitions to live performances, enriching the

the left is an imagined idea of what the building

for

cultural fabric of the community.

can be perceived as. The re purposed building

environment for a period, offering individuals

In essence, our anarchic commune is a dynamic

becomes a communal haven built to align with

the opportunity to rebuild their lives. In return,

ecosystem

the daily lives of its citizens, echoing the ideals

they actively participate in the community by

compassion converge. It’s a space where

by Henri Lefebvre.

working in areas of the building fostering a

individuals are free to pursue their passions,

The aim is to create an anarchic type commune

sense of responsibility. The creche will allow

support one another, and collectively contribute

space where communal well-being comes first.

those with limited money to leave their child

to the well-being of the community.

homelessness.

Providing a supportive

where

diversity,

creativity,

and

This thesis project unfolds within a hypothetical scenario marked by a recent incident of arson and vandalism, resulting in severe damage to the rear section of the building. Unlike previous occurrences, the rear portion did not withstand the destructive forces, leaving only the front section depicted above, which remains structurally sound. The aftermath reveals the compromised condition of the rear part, now in a state of deterioration that necessitates its demolition. The visible decay and instability of the rear structure underscore the imperative need for its removal.