Court House (former)

Croydon’s True Blue Tourism Information Centre provides visitors with a map of the heritage precinct in Samwell Street, where the courthouse, the oldest building in town, is a key component. The gold fields were declared in January 1886 and the place was inundated with miners seeking their fortune. There was a need for law and order. Tenders for a court house were called in May 1887. Davidson and Co’s tender of £1200 was accepted but by August the building was not complete and a new contract awarded to E and J Headland for £1875. The building materials chosen reflect a simple solution for an isolated settlement where termites were an issue for building maintenance. Corrugated iron was a practical solution to the building needs of remote communities. A mining warden’s office was added to the rear. As the fortunes of Croydon declined rapidly from the early 20th century, the building was retained as a surveyor’s office, land court, and was used by the Clerk of Petty Sessions into the 1940s. Although now part of the historic museum precinct of Croydon, the court house still retains its furniture including the judge’s bench, defendant’s box, witness stand and jury bench.