Building record 104/1/1 - Castle Hotel, Formerly Halton Courthouse and Gaol

<1> McNeil R (ed), 1987, Halton Castle : A Visual Treasure, p.8-12 (Monograph). SCH1332.

A programme of excavation was undertaken in 1986-7 at Halton Castle by Robina McNeil and, as part of this project, documentary research was undertaken for the site as a whole, including Halton Courthouse and Gaol. Historically Halton Castle had a significant role as a court and prison for the Honor of Halton. The earliest court records for Halton date from 1274, although the court was probably established earlier; the last court sitting was in 1908. Beaumont's work 'An Account of the Rolls of the Honor of Halton', 1879, (see source 2) constitutes a report on the Halton Court Rolls prior to their removal to the P.R.O in London and provides useful information on the type of cases heard in the Halton Courts. These were generally petty offences with the more serious cases sent to the Assize Courts at Chester. Beaumont notes that the courts were particularly zealous in their care of the Mersey fisheries; three common offences were selling fish before the hour of 'prime', obstructing the river and poaching. Offences for gambling and drunkeness were also common. As well as serving as a court for the Honor of Halton, the castle also served as a prison, and in 1580-1, was designated as a prison for Catholic recusants. By the seventeenth century the castle was in ruinous state and, in 1728, Halton was leased by the Crown to the Earl of Cholmondley (then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster). The Earl commissioned the construction of a new courthouse, built between 1737-8 by Henry Sephton and John Orme. A grant of £500 was made by the Duchy to cover the costs of the construction of the courthouse.

The courthouse was buit in 1737 on the site of the medieval gatehouse and re-using some of its masonry. A few mason's marks have been recognised in the east wall of the courthouse, the stones had obviously been turned round so that the unweathered surfaces became the outer surfacces, accounting for the paucity of masons' marks in the building as a whole. In the original plans for the courthouse there is provion for a cell and a 'butty', the latter is probably a corruption of abbreviation of the word buttery, the original meaning of which is a store for beer and wine kegs. In the event certain economies were made when the courthouse was finally built with the façade not nearly as grand as the one envisaged and there is no butty. However, the excavations recorded a sandstone slab floor laid inside the walls of the medieval rectangular tower of the castle which may have served as as a butty for the courthouse. The courthouse itself had no lockups but there are six semi-circular bays fronting the bowling green. There are five in a line and a single one situated behind the line of five. All exhibit the same parameters, in that they are rock cut and employ small well coursed masonry in the lower levels and large edge set stones as a decorative feature above. They had a small continuous ledge or seat running around the wall near the base.

By 1792 the courthouse had fallen into disrepair and a request to the Duchy for financial aid was refused at this time, although some alterations, including the construction of the folly walls which flank the courthouse, were undertaken. There were originally three folly walls, however, only two still survive. The excavations recovered two tokens found amongst the construction stones of one of the folly walls, these have a date of 1794 and 1790, giving a date for the wall of circa 1800. The Victorians are responsible for the sunken garden and the bowling greens within the interior of the castle.

<2> Beaumont W, 1878, An Account of the Rolls of the Honor of Halton (Monograph). SCH8356.

<3> Hartwell C, Hyde M, Hubbard E & Pevsner N, 2011, The Buildings of England: Cheshire (2011 revision) (Book). SCH7059.

Castle Hotel, Castle Road. By Henry Sephton, 1737-8. On the site of the fifteenth century castle gatehouse, reusing some of the fabric. Originally the Duchy of Lancaster court house, and hence decidedly monumental. Seven bays with a recessed centre and a hipped roof. Open (asymmetrical but possible altered) staircase to the first floor entrance. Above this a coat of arms and a pedimental gable. Windows with bold rusticated heads those above with unusual upward curves at the corners, those below cambered. Sephton's drawing shows that he intended a symmetrical façade and more elaborate detailing, with a rusticated basement and quoins.

<4> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, Castle Hotel: Listed Building Entry (Web Site). SCH6528.

The Castle Hotel Public House, Grade II*. Former Duchy of Lancaster Court House now a Public House. 1737 with later alterations, Henry Sephton, Undertaker. Red sandstone with slate roof. 2 storeys 7 bays with 2 bay projections each side. First floor entrance to Court Room, approached up stone staircase, consists of double door with six raised panels in stone doorcase surmounted by Royal Arms. Outer bays have projecting weathered plinth midway up ground floor windows. Upper windows have moulded stone bracketed sills, architraves, and heads marked with triple keystones. Moulded eaves cornice and hipped roof with sandstone hip and ridge tiles. Interior: Courtroom now adapted for catering but still contains tablet with inscription and date.

<5> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, Halton Castle: Extract from Scheduled Monument Entry (Web Site). SCH6528.

In 1738 the gatehouse was replaced by a new courthouse and prison and a series of small lock-ups built in the castle interior to the north of this building. Again the previous remains were cleared from the bedrock on the site and the new building erected on the platform…..In the 18th century the walls of a folly were constructed to the east of the courthouse where they still form a castlellated feature. In the interior of the platform there is now a walled garden dating from the 19th century and the cells of the 18th century lock-ups have been incorporated in the east side of this enclosure. In addition, the eastern half of the enclosure was laid out as a bowling green in the 19th century levelling the interior and obscuring the remains of any earlier buildings.