Here's a bit of the 1875 Town Plan of Birkenhead, showing County Hall on Abbey Street. It is complete with courtroom, police office, clerk's office and superintendent's residence. There was already a County Court building on Chester Street / Pilgrim Street, so what was County Hall for?
The County Court at Birkenhead was created under the County Court Act of 1847. The court held two types of hearings. More serious cases were heard fortnightly and were presided over by one of the Justices of the Peace for the County, whilst less serious cases were heard at weekly Petty Sessions on Thursdays before a bench of local magistrates. Initially all of the County Court sessions took place in the courtroom in the original Town Hall in Hamilton Street, but in 1862 an additional Petty Session was introduced, to be held every Monday at the new County Hall in Abbey Street. County Hall also became the venue for the local Licencing Sessions. The main County Court Sessions continued at the Town Hall until June 1862, when they were transferred to the new purpose-built County Court building on the corner of Pilgrim Street.
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