Old Court House
The Old Court House was designed by Henry Reveley, first civil engineer to the Swan River Colony, and built in 1836. The design is in the classical Greek revival style.
Reveley’s specification for the building survives. It specified [lime]stone footings bedded in lime mortar, 4ft deep (1,220mm) by 3ft wide (915mm). The walls were solid brick and stone, 14in thick (355mm) not including the plaster layers. A stone filled drain was to be constructed around the entire perimeter of the building. The roof was supported by timber trusses of an unusual design similar to a queen post truss system, specified by Reveley in drawings. The roof was covered with timber shingles and lined by weatherboards on the interior side. The timber floor joists were supported on the external walls and on two parallel stump walls constructed below floor level.
Court sessions commenced in January 1837. The building was also used as a church, with the first service held on Good Friday in that year. Church services continued until St George’s Cathedral was completed in 1845. The building was also used as a school in its early years. When the court was sitting the students had to work quietly in the upstairs jury room. Other uses for the building included public meetings, an immigration depot, and for rehearsals and concerts.
