Charlotte County Court House | |
Image Alt: | Sepia photograph of the Charlotte County Court House in 1895 |
Architectural Style: | Classical-Revival |
Current Tenants: | Charlotte County Archives, St. Andrews Civic Trust |
Address: | 123 Frederick St. |
Location Town: | St. Andrews, New Brunswick |
Location Country: | Canada |
Coordinates: | 45.0757°N -67.0492°W |
Start Date: | 1839 |
Completion Date: | 1840 |
Architect: | Thomas Berry |
The Charlotte County Court House (French: Palais de justice du comté de Charlotte) is a former court house located in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. It served as the local seat of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick. It was the oldest court house in Canada still in continuous use until 2016, when court cases stopped being heard in St. Andrews.[1]
The court house was constructed in 1840 adjacent to the Charlotte County Gaol, and was designed by architect Thomas Berry. The building features a pedimented portico, onto which a large Royal coat of arms was added in 1858 by Charles Kennedy. In its early years, the building was a focal point for local activities such as elections, fairs, parades, and official visits.
The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981, as the best preserved example in New Brunswick of the typical mid-19th century Maritime courthouse. It was subsequently also designated under the provincial Historic Sites Protection Act in 1997.