Grace's Old Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grace's Old Castle |
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| General information | |
| Location | Graces Old Castle, Parliament St, Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°39′15″N 7°15′13″W / 52.654187°N 7.253676°W |
Grace's Old Castle is a historic castle building in the centre of Kilkenny which has been extended to create the city’s modern courthouse structure. It houses one of the oldest courthouses in the country.
Contents
History
Castle
The current site of the courthouse in Kilkenny is on the older site of the castle known as Grace's Old Castle. This castle was originally built by William le Gras some time before 1210. le Gras was appointed constable and Seneschal of Leinster for life and Governor of Kilkenny. Much of that original building was replaced over time though the family continued to use it as a private town residence until the building was leased to state the by the Constable of Kilkenny and owner James Grace. From that point in 1566 it began to be used as a gaol. By 1691 the building was in use as the County Gaol.
Court
The building first became a courthouse in 1792 when it was also used to hold sessions and assizes for the county. The Parliament Street Courthouse dates from 1786 so that from the 1790s the building housed the County Courthouse, County Gaol and City Gaol though the building was also used intermittently for theatre performances and public meetings like elections.
While it's believed that much of earlier remodeling work to transform the building was done by Sir Jerome Fitzpatrick, the current facade was constructed by architect William Robertson in 1824. As a courthouse the building still had seven cells for prisoners but was not considered to be well arranged as a modern gaol though it operated as the city's detention facility or bridewell from 1871 until 1946. In the 1920s a timber lined ceiling'd council chamber was added to the back of the building. There have been continuous upgrades and remodeling works to the building since, with the most recent in 2010. Today the Courthouse holds the Circuit and District Courts.
Excavations
The area was the subject of an archaeological excavation in 2008 by Maedbh Saunderson which uncovered domestic medieval evidence and burgage plots, evidence of post medieval structural development, a prison burial plot and land drainage.
Images for kids
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Sir Jerome Fitzpatrick M.D.
