| Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of the Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Magistrates' court |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | Corporation Street,Birmingham,England |
| Coordinates | 52°29′0.75″N1°53′36″W / 52.4835417°N 1.89333°W /52.4835417; -1.89333 |
| Construction started | 1887 |
| Completed | 1891, (+1894, 1914) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Aston Webb &Ingress Bell |
| Main contractor | John Bowen and Sons |
| Awards and prizes | Grade I listed |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 21 January 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1075605 |
TheVictoria Law Courts is ared brick and terracotta judicial building, which accommodates Birmingham Magistrates' Court, onCorporation Street,Birmingham,England. It is a Grade Ilisted building.[1][2]
For much of the 19th century, criminal court cases were heard in thePublic Office in Moor Street.[3] However, in the early 1880s, as the number of court cases in Birmingham grew, the judicial authorities decided it was necessary to have a dedicated courthouse.[4][5] The site they selected on Corporation Street had been occupied by the old Birmingham Workhouse, which had been built in 1734[6] and cleared away as part of a larger scheme by themayor,Joseph Chamberlain, to demolish old slums.[7]
The foundation stone was laid byQueen Victoria on 23 March 1887 in herGolden Jubilee year.[8][9] Designed byAston Webb &Ingress Bell of London after an open competition, assessed by architectAlfred Waterhouse, to provide the firstassize courts in Birmingham, it is faced entirely in deep red terracotta from the clay ofRuabon inNorth Wales[10] and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing Corporation Street, with a symmetrical centre section, a long wing with two gables to the left and a single gabled bay to the right. The central section featured a large round headed main entrance with multiplehood moulds flanked byturrets and, beyond that, byoctagonal towers with conical roofs. A statue ofQueen Victoria byHarry Bates surmounts the main entrance.[10] Other figures are by sculptorWilliam Silver Frith to designs byWalter Crane.[10]
Built by Birmingham firm John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened by thePrince andPrincess of Wales on 21 July 1891.[8] Additions were made adding a projecting bow window on the left between 1891 and 1894 and extensions were erected along Newton Street in 1914.[10]
The interior, including the Great Hall, is faced with sandy-yellow terracotta and intricate ornamentation. The terracotta used for the interior was produced byGibbs and Canning of Tamworth.[10]
Crown Court trials, i.e. criminal cases involving trial by judge and jury, moved to theQueen Elizabeth II Law Courts in Dalton Street in 1987.[11]
A proposal was made, prior to the2010 UK General Election, to move the magistrates' court to a new purpose-built building nearby.[12] The project was subsequently abandoned afterHM Courts Service had its budget cut and after magistrates indicated their desire to remain in the Victoria Law Courts complex.[13]
