Cockermouth woke up on Sunday to a shocking sight – one of its oldest buildings had partially collapsed into the river alongside it.
The Old Courthouse, on Main Street, remains in a precarious state and part of the road has been closed off to traffic and pedestrians.
The future of the Grade II listed building is not known at this stage, but here’s everything you need to know so far.
What happened to the Old Courthouse?
Cumberland Council, with permission of the owner, is assessing and surveying the site.
Who owns the Old Courthouse?
It was bought by a London businessman at auction for £51,000. He pledged to spend £100,000 on work on the building. Contractors were working inside for a time, but it is not known what work they did or if it was completed.
What about the road in front of the Old Courthouse?
Cocker Bridge has been closed to traffic and pedestrians and screening has been installed. The road has been closed in case the building becomes unstable and falls into Main Street – which could hit and injure people or hit vehicles.
The bridge is safe and structurally sound, a leading Cockermouth architect says and the closure is for safety reasons.
Traffic lights have been installed to help ease congestion and all other roadworks in town have been suspended.
What if I’m on foot?
Pedestrians can avoid the area by using South Street or the Brewery yard to access Main Street and Market Place.
Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade has produced this handy video walking guide:
Are the shops still open?
William Moore, chairman of Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade, said: “We are so sad to see the collapse of Cockermouth’s historic former court house.
“Now I hope that all the relevant agencies can work very swiftly to ensure the safety of the public and, very importantly, to get the road over Cocker Bridge open again as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, I want to emphasise the message we have said so often in Cockermouth – this town is still open for business. Please continue to visit Market Place which is still easily accessible via the footbridges next to the brewery and at the end of South Street.
“There’s good parking at that end of town too, so you can easily get to the shops, galleries, pubs and restaurants, as well as Kirkgate Arts, and the doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries.
What about the river?
The river embankment has been fenced off in the potential drop zone.
There were no reports of any injuries following the building collapse and although some debris has landed into the river, the river is still flowing.
The Environment Agency has confirmed that although the collapse is near to their flood walls, the walls remain intact and the town’s flood risk has not increased.
What will happen next?
Cumberland Council, working with the private owner and other agencies, will make the building safe and aim to reopen the road.
What about the future of the building?
Issues first arose with the building in 2021, when the River Cocker eroded a stone section underneath it.
Built in 1838, the Old Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in Cockermouth.
Leading architect Darren Ward told Cumbria Crack he believed it was beyond saving.
He said: “It is a big loss for the town and obviously we would like to see it retained and made safe for another 200 years, but I feel that is a dream too big.
“We mustn’t be unrealistic and plan on hope because we will end up with a building that remains a pile of rubble for decades.
“Economically I also cannot see any solution to it being replaced. I think it’s very unlikely the courthouse will ever return in any form it used to be.”
What does Cockermouth and District Civic Trust say?
In a post on Facebook, Cockermouth and District Civic Trust said: “So the rear of the building has now collapsed, probably inevitable given the extent of the undermining of the foundations and the extent of the cracking in the walls.
“It was always going to be extremely difficult to restore the whole building and from advice that we received it would probably have cost in excess of £1 million with no guarantee of success. So what next?
“The damage is not limited to what you can see. The collapse has caused more damage to the rest of the building, including the front section. So a lot rests on the results of the structural surveys and the implications of any further collapse.
“Given that the building is Grade II listed and an iconic building for the town, the civic trust would clearly like to see as much of the building conserved as reasonably practicable.
“The best case scenario will be the retention of the front section of the building as per the photograph, potentially with a garden patio behind. The worst case scenario is full demolition of the existing building with a middle case being a retention of just the facade facing the street.
“If the building is to be conserved in part, it will need the Cumberland Council to work in partnership with the owner, seeking grant funding from the likes of the Heritage Lottery fund and perhaps seeking an external partner such as the Culture Trust.”
