From jailhouse to arthouse: How a disused court became the home of music, comedy and culture in the heart of Bangor

In the case of Bangor’s Court House, the answer was to turn it into a venue and arts centre that has the area rocking to international touring bands and local up-and-comers alike.

Stormont budget cuts shut down the court in 2013, but the grade B listed building has reopened its doors as one of Northern Ireland’s hottest new venues and the home of culture on the city’s seaside.

Proving an instant hit, the Court House hosts acts as varied as DJ legend David Holmes, reunited 1970s punk hitmakers the Rezillos, and cult American singer-songwriter Ryley Walker.

It also showcases Northern Ireland’s best rising talents in music and comedy, stages craft markets stocked by local sellers, and holds regular trad sessions.

Having recently celebrated its second birthday, in 2024 the venue scooped the prestigious National Lottery Project Of The Year award – beating high-profile candidates from across the UK in a public vote, and receiving the trophy from Snow Patrol singer and enthusiastic supporter Gary Lightbody.

The brains behind the project are the Open House Festival, which originally ran in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and moved to Bangor almost 15 years ago

As Open House director Kieran Gilmore explains, back then Bangor lacked venues capable of holding the international touring bands the annual arts festival books, forcing his team to find pop-up spaces ranging from a council-owned outdoor area to a yacht club to an old auction room.

"We desperately needed a permanent home,” he says. “This is the third-largest city in Northern Ireland, yet there was no cultural or arts infrastructure, no dedicated arts venue.

“There was an appetite for events year-round too, not just for the month of the festival. So a very strange journey began.”

The festival team went into protracted, years-long negotiations with the Department of Justice, hoping to get the deeds to the property through a community asset transfer – a system that allows disused public buildings unlikely to sell on the open market to be handed to a community group.

"It’s quite common in England, but we were one of the first in Northern Ireland to pull it off,” says Kieran. “We had to wade through a lot of red tape.

"I remember when we got the keys, we literally burst out laughing. They were such an ordinary set, yet it took us so long to get them.”

The team set about a £2m revamp of the site, restoring its exterior while heavily reworking the inside.

Its large courtroom was transformed into the main concert venue, while the judge’s quarters became an upstairs bar and its jail cells are now toilet facilities.

The venue has proved a hit with bands looking for somewhere out of the ordinary to play, though Kieran admits to an attack of nerves when one act performed – Jah Wobble, former bassist with Public Image Ltd, Sinead O’Connor collaborator, and infamous for not suffering fools gladly.

“He was the first truly international booking,” he says. “I thought we might not be good enough, but he loved it – for me, he’s still the best gig we’ve had.”