Info off the net..

West Derby Courthouse is probably Liverpool's oldest non-ecclesiastical public building and is administered by Croxteth Hall and Country Park. Dating from 1586, it is the only free-standing post-Medieval courthouse in Britain.

In 2005 it had a £110,000 refurbishment. In June 2006 members of the Sealed Knot battle re-enactment group attended the official opening by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.

The Courthouse, rebuilt on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I (Good Queen Bess), contains original benches plus a room reached through a door with three locks and containing unique muniment cupboards (1711) which once contained vital documents. It is believed they originally came from Sefton Hall, which the Molyneux family demolished that year when they moved to Croxteth Hall.

The court, last used regularly in Victorian times, dealt with land issues and offences such as allowing your pig to roam without a ring in its nose! Miscreants could spend up to six hours in the nearby stocks, which can still be seen.