Carlisle Citadel
| Carlisle Citadel | |
| Cumberland | |
|---|---|
 Carlisle Citadel: Western Tower and Eastern Tower | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NY402556 |
| Location: | 54°53’31"N, 2°56’0"W |
| City: | Carlisle |
| History | |
| Built 1541 | |
| Information | |
Carlisle Citadel or The Citadel is a group of buildings on the site of a former early modern fortress on English Street in Carlisle, Cumberland. It comprises two towers, both of which are Grade I listed buildings, known as the Nisi Prius Courthouse[1] and the former Crown Court.[2]
History
The citadel was commissioned by King Henry VIII to replace the mediæval Botcher's gate,[3] which was a gateway through the city walls.[4][5] The new facility, which was designed by Stefan von Haschenperg as a mediæval fortress, was completed in 1541.[3] It ceased to be a fortress and became a prison in 1611.[3] The Eastern Tower was modified to designs by Thomas Telford and Sir Robert Smirke and converted for use as a Nisi Prius Court (which is to say civil courts) in 1812.[3] The Western Tower was completely rebuilt to designs by Thomas Telford and Sir Robert Smirke and converted for use as the Crown Court in 1822.[3]
The citadel continued to be used as the local facility for dispensing justice but, following the Local Government Act 1888, it also became the offices and meeting place for the new Cumberland administrative county council. This council’s successor after 1974 continued at the Citadel as offices.
The citadel ceased to function as a judicial facility after the new Courts of Justice in Earl Street were completed in 1992.[6] It also ceased to function as a municipal facility when, as a cost-saving measure, the council moved to a single facility in Botchergate in December 2016.
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Carlisle Citadel) |
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1196940: Former Nisi Prius Court (Grade I listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1196939: Former Crown Court (Grade I listing)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Carlisle Citadel". Britain Express. https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cumbria/az/carlisle-citadel.htm. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ↑ "Carlisle Citadel". Gatehouse Gazetteer. http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/369.html. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ↑ "Carlisle Castle and Carlisle City Walls". Castles Forts Battles. http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/north_west/carlisle_castle.html. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ↑ "Carlisle". County History Trust. https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/carlisle. Retrieved 6 September 2019.