County Buildings, Enniskillen

County Buildings is a municipal facility in East Bridge Street, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It served as the headquarters of Fermanagh County Council from 1960 to 1973.

County Buildings, Enniskillen
County Buildings, Enniskillen
County Hall, Omagh
Location within Northern Ireland
General information
Town or cityEnniskillen, County Fermanagh
CountryNorthern Ireland
Coordinates54.3437°N 7.6366°W / 54.3437; -7.6366
Completed1960

History

During the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, meetings of Fermanagh County Council were held at the Enniskillen Courthouse.[1][2] In the 1950s, county leaders decided that the courthouse was too cramped to accommodate the county council in the context of the county council's increasing administrative responsibilities, especially while the courthouse was still acting as a facility for dispensing justice, and therefore chose to acquire additional premises on a vacant site to the west of the courthouse.[3]

The new building, which was designed in the Neo-Georgian style, involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto East Bridge Street; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forwards and was five storeys high, was faced with stone and featured a deeply recessed doorway; there were sash windows on each of the floors above and a flag pole projected above the middle first floor window. The new building was constructed by the local contractor, A. J. Humphries, at a cost of £58,000 and was officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh, the 5th Earl of Enniskillen, on 28 May 1960.[4]

After the county council was abolished in 1973, the building became the regional office of several government departments.[5] However, by the mid-1990s, although still in use by the Northern Ireland Office, the occupancy of the building had significantly reduced.[6] It then continued to be used at a low level of occupancy by the new Northern Ireland Assembly.[7] Following the formation of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in April 2015, the council established a dedicated planning office in the building with the intention of making town planning services more easily accessible to local people.[8]

In March 2017, the building was deemed surplus to requirements by the Northern Ireland Assembly and was marketed for sale.[9] It was acquired by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council who re-designated it as a "Connect Centre" in April 2018.[10] The council then initiated an extensive programme of refurbishment works in July 2018[11] before re-opening the building as a "Services Hub" and also as a Register Office for birth and deaths and as a venue for marriages and civil partnerships in February 2020.[12][13]

References
  1. "Mr. Walter Burns". Down Recorder. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. "No. 1436". The Belfast Gazette. 31 December 1948. p. 326.
  3. Ordnance Survey Map Historical Fourth Edition (1905-1957). Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
  4. "Local Events" (PDF). 1960. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. "Enniskillen Conservation Area" (PDF). Northern Ireland Direct. p. 25. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  6. "Written Answers: Local Government Employees". Hansard. 9 June 1995. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. "Northern Ireland Civil Servant jobs at 1 January 2014" (PDF). Northern Ireland Assembly. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. Milne, Roger (26 February 2015). "More dedicated planning offices open for business". The Planner. The Royal Town Planning Institute. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. Minutes of the Policy & Resources Committee. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. 15 March 2017. p. 4.
  10. "Council Connect Centres: Registry office to move to County buildings". The Impartial Reporter. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. "Office Refurbishment at County Buildings, Enniskillen". E-tenders Northern Ireland. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  12. "County Buildings reopens as transformed 'services hub'". Fermanagh Herald. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. "Opening of customer Connect Centre & relocation of Council services to County Buildings, Enniskillen". Western Telegraph. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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