THE COURT HOUSE

Bangor Co.Down Northern Ireland

In 2021 I was delighted to be commissioned by Open House Festival to photograph the Court House during its restoration and venue development. The Court House was originally built as the Bangor Branch of the Belfast Banking Company in 1865. It then became a Court of Petty Sessions in 1954. It was such an exciting process to be able to witness this building transform into the wonderful music venue that it is today.

The Court House Before the Renovation
The Front Entrance
The Court Room
The Court Room
The Court Room before the renovation
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Original Wallpaper of the Bank
Original Wallpaper
Alison and Victor carefully removing some of the original wallpaper for safekeeping
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The Cells - Now the downstairs female and accessible toilets
Cell door
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Original Wallpaper
Old Offices where the Open Arms Bar is now
Downstairs Reception Area - Where The Open Arms Bar is now
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Downstairs Interview Room where the Open Arms Bar is now
Downstairs Hallway
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The Courtyard
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Sarah standing above the courtyard at what is now the upstairs kitchen window
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Old upstairs Kitchen used by the old Court House staff
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Upstairs Room - now part of The Drawing Room
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view from what is now the artist's green room
Upstairs Room - Now the artist's Green Room
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The View from what used to be The Bank Manager's son's bedroom. Now a seating area opposite the kitchen in the Drawing Room
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Florentina Paddy Boyd's shadow on the original paper during The Court House Sessions
Seamus & Optimist during The Court House Sessions
The Court House Sessions
Florentina's at The Court House Sessions
Festival organisers & staff at The Court House Sessions
Joe Laverty & Ciara McMullen in the cell during The Court House Sessions
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The old downstairs dining room - Now part of The Open Arms Bar
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Peter Osborough and Robert Lyle standing in the old dining room - now the Open Arms Bar
Peter Osborough - The Bank Manager's son and the last person to have lived in the building
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Old sash window at the side of the building
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Tea Break
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Upstairs rooms all knocked through to create the new Drawing Room Bar seating areas
Original skirting being numbered and restored in order to reinstall in their original place
The area where petty fines used to be paid - now The Drawing Room
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Fra having his "The Shining" moment
View of one of the court's cell with an empty space which used to be the original bank vault - Now the entrance to the downstairs main venue space
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The main venue area
looking down through the upper floor to an old downstairs toilet
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The court yard area under construction
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rear hallways
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The old victorian plumbing at the side of the building
Old doorway upstairs, now the seating area opposite the bar of The Drawing Room
Victor keeping it all together
Old Cigarette packets found behind walls and floors
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Where the old Bank occupant's kitchen used to be- now where the Open Arms bar sits
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downstairs hallway looking towards the back of the building
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Making the venue entrance from the old vault cavity
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the bare bones of the building
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underground layers of the old dining room - Now The Open Arms Bar seating area/ The trad session snug is now
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original timber floor (upstairs)
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The new offices
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beginning to tile the new upstairs kitchen
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The Lift Shaft under construction
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setting the foundations of the courtyard facilities
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Old entrance tiles before being restored and reinstalled
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