‘Court’ for Ferry mead

Press, 7 October 1980, Page 6

‘Court’ for Ferry mead

Ferrymead Historic Park will benefit from the demolition of the old Supreme Court building, which will start in November. Tenders for the demolition work close on October 21. A number of items from the building will be salvaged: some will be incorporated! into the new court complex, others will go to the Ferry-1 mead Trust.

Ceiling material and supports, the clerestory Windows and all the built-in •furniture from the main

courtroom, including a witness stand, dock, stepped seating, platforms, public gallery, "balustrades, .'and support columns will go to Ferrymead. The director of the Ferrymead Trust (Mr D. R. Muir) said that the trust hoped to ’ build a replica courtroom ‘lwith the fittings. The court would probably' be built ! I using old roof trusses.as the (roof structure of the old !l building was quite unusual; | The trust eventually hoped Ito get enough stone blocks (■ “from somewhere” to build a stone courthouse. Two carved stone coats of arms and their, surrounding arches will be incorporated in the new court complex. Masonry from the old building will be used for landscaping and stabilising the riverbank in front of the new complex. Other items from the old building, including a judge’s j dais, bench, rails, canopy; and backdrop, and the registrar’s bench from the main!

i courtroom ■will be stored until the Justice Department finds a suitable place to display them. A spokesman for the Ministry of Works and Development said that demolition of the old building would open the way for the third tftage of the new court complex. This would be the first of the new court blocks.

No decision had yet been made on when construction o f the new court block would begin. Planning for the Christchurch complex had been delayed because of

recommendations of the 1976 Royal Commission bn the Courts. Courts in the old Provincial Chambers were being I refurbished and courts in the District Court modified as an interim measure. Work would soon begin on providing facilities for jury trials in the No. 2 District Court. District Court judges should be presiding over jury trials for some] electable offences by early! 1981. The refurbished court would also be used by the High Court.