The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, Thu 11 Sep 1862 ¹

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
————

…

TO BUILDERS AND OTHERS.—
COURT HOUSE, WEST KEMPSEY.

Sydney, 4th September, 1862.

    Tenders will be received at this office, until 12 o’clock on Tuesday, the 7th October next from persons willing to contract for the erection of a Court-house, West Kempsey.
    Tenders to be endorsed “Tenders for Court-house, West Kempsey.”
    Plan specifications, and form of tender may be seen, and further particulars obtained, at the Colonial Architect’s Office, Sydney, and at the Police Office, West Kempsey.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 8 Jun 1889 ²

KEMPSEY.

June 1.

…
    COURTHOUSE.—During the court sittings this week Judge Murray commenced strongly on the necessity for a new courthouse, speaking in strong terms of the wretched accommodation at present.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 21 Mar 1891 ³

KEMPSEY GRIEVANCES.

    Our Kempsey correspondent writes under date March 16: His Honor Acting Judge Bennett when here the other day drew attention to the bad ventilation of our courthouse. Judge Murray has done the same thing some two or three years ago many a time before, and still nothing has been done towards remedying it; it is too small altogether, with scarcely any accommodation. The post office clock which has been promised for some few years, and for which the contract time is long overdue, has nor arrived yet. I hope they will not send it somewhere else when it is ready, and let Kempsey wait in the same way as we have to wait for everything else.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 12 Dec 1891 ⁴

COUNTRY COMPLAINTS.
————
KEMPSEY COURTHOUSE.

    Our Kempsey correspondent writes under date December 7: It is about time that the Government took into consideration the West Kempsey Courthouse, as it is utterly incapable of accommodating the public at the time of the district court. There is no accommodation for either jurors or witnesses, and half the people cannot get in. Judge shave on various occasions expressed their disgust at it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 5 Dec 1896 ⁵

TENDERS.
————

    Tenders have been accepted for the following public works:
 …
    Buildings.—
…
    Additions, alterations, &c, courthouse and new fittings to courtroom, West Kempsey, H Manning, Kempsey, £853;

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Evening News, Fri 8 Oct 1897 ⁶

KEMPSEY NOTES.
————

    KEMPSEY, Friday.—During the past quarter there were 88 births registered on the Macleay, 14 deaths, and 11 marriages.

    The new courthouse at Kempsey was opened for public business on Tuesday. It was Small Debts Court day, and, as a start, there were sixty-five cases set down for hearing. There was a full bench of magistrates, and the acting PM (Mr FGD Meares) congratulated the public of the district on the possession of such a commodious and convenient building. The new courtroom is a great improvement on the old one. In days gone by, time after time the District Court Judges called attention to the want of ventilation and the congested space, but for years nothing was done. The new room is but an enlargement of the old courthouse. The contract included the taking down of the old roof and the extension of the room 9ft 6in towards the street and a verandah was placed in front. The ceiling is now 20ft from the floor, and there are thirteen windows and twenty ventilators placed along the top of the walls. Gables have been placed both back and front of the roof, and in the middle there is a large zinc dome for ventilating purposes. The fittings are all new, and comprise a large dais, c. and s. box, witness box, reporter’s box, commodious jury box, and a new dock, minus the objectionable spikes.

 

---

¹     The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, Thu 11 Sep 1862, p. 3.

²     Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 8 Jun 1889, p. 14.

³     Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 21 Mar 1891, p. 17.

⁴     Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 12 Dec 1891, p. 17.

⁵     Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 5 Dec 1896, p. 45.

⁶     Evening News, (Sydney, NSW), Fri 8 Oct 1897, p. 5.

---