Court House, Mackay, c 1890

News of the day

Daily Mercury, Friday 3 November 1916, page 2

MACKAY COURT HOUSE.

Hardly an occasion passes during the sittings of a court in Mackay when juries are engaged, that reference is not made to the defective acoustic properties of the Mackay Court House. An effort was made a short time ago to remedy this defect by suspending sounding wires across the building, but these are not sufficient, for on several occasions during the sittings of the Circuit Court the jurymen appealed to the presiding Judge to request witnesses to raise their voices. While in some instances the witnesses were at fault in not speaking loud enough, it was apparent in most cases that the bad hearing of the room was responsible.

Background

The Police Station (former Court House) is a classical revival building of rendered brick scribed to resemble stonework and is set well back from the street. The majority of the building rises to 2 storeys and the roof is clad with corrugated fibrous cement sheeting. The street entrance features an arcaded Tuscan order portico with 3 bays separated by square pilasters rising through 2 stories to the triangular pediment, which has a circular louvred vent in its centre. Three square windows are located in the spandrel over the arches, each with a moulded frame all around. This entrance is flanked by single storey wings which continue the arcaded effect with arched windows, now filled with glass louvres. The windows in the upper storey and the side windows and porches on the lower storeys are shaded by sun hoods on cast iron brackets. Windows were double hung and timber framed: some of these have been replaced.

There is a tall brick chimney set back from each side of the entrance serving the corner fireplaces in the former female witnesses room and barristers room. A third chimney rises at the rear. Internally, the courtroom space is now occupied by offices although the ground floor plan is actually little changed.

 

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