Bow Street Magistrates' Court and Police Station

Last updated

19th-century depiction of Bow Street Magistrates' Court, to which the Bow Street Runners were attached. Bow Street - late 19th century.JPG
19th-century depiction of Bow Street Magistrates' Court, to which the Bow Street Runners were attached.

Bow Street Magistrates' Court (formerly Bow Street Police Court ) and Police Station each became one of the most famous magistrates' courts and police stations in England.

Contents

Over the court's 266-year existence it occupied various buildings on Bow Street in Central London, immediately north-east of Covent Garden, the last of which opened in 1881 and incorporated the police station previously on another site on the street. It closed in 2006 and its work moved to a set of four magistrates' courts: Westminster, Camberwell Green, Highbury Corner and the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. The senior magistrate at Bow Street until 2000 was the Chief Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate.

The building is grade II listed, [1] - the court areas now form a hotel and the station part houses the Bow Street Police Museum. [2]

History

1740-1875

The first court at Bow Street was established in 1740, [3] when Colonel Sir Thomas de Veil, a Westminster justice, sat as a magistrate in his home at number 4. De Veil was succeeded by novelist and playwright Henry Fielding in 1747. He was appointed a magistrate for the City of Westminster in 1748, at a time when the problem of gin consumption and resultant crime was at its height. There were eight licensed premises in the street and Fielding reported that every fourth house in Covent Garden was a gin shop. In 1749, in response to calls to find an effective means to tackle increasing crime and disorder, Fielding brought together eight reliable constables, known as "Mr Fielding's People", [3] who soon gained a reputation for honesty and efficiency in their pursuit of criminals. The constables came to be known as the Bow Street Runners.

Fielding's blind half-brother, Sir John Fielding (known as the "Blind Beak of Bow Street"), succeeded his brother as magistrate in 1754 and refined the patrol into the first truly effective police force for the capital. [4] Among those tried at the court was Giacomo Casanova.

The early 19th century saw a dramatic increase in number and scope of the police based at Bow Street with the 1805 formation of the Bow Street Horse Patrole, which covered to the edge of London and was the first uniformed police unit in Britain, and in 1821 the Dismounted Horse Patrole which covered suburban areas. A Metropolitan Police station was also established at numbers 25 and 27 soon after the force was established in 1829. Officers were sent from there to police the Coldbath Fields riot in 1833.

1876-1991 - Court

Bow Street Police Court (Site) Act 1876
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title An Act to authorise the acquisition of a Site in Bow Street for the erection of a new Police Court and Police Station and offices.
Citation 39 & 40 Vict. c. ccxxxviii
Dates
Royal assent 15 August 1876
Text of statute as originally enacted

In 1876 the Duke of Bedford let a site on the eastern side of Bow Street to the Commissioners of HM Works and Public Buildings for a new combined magistrates' court and police station at an annual rent of £100. Work on the current building to a design by the Office of Works' surveyor Sir John Taylor began in 1878 and was completed in 1881—the date 1879 in the stonework above the door of the present building is when it had been hoped that work would finish. [4] [5] Historic England's listing entry describes the architectural style as "dignified, eclectic Graeco-Roman with some slightly Vanbrughian details, rather in the Pennethorne manner." [1]

The Court in 1895 Bow Street QE3 117.jpg
The Court in 1895

In 1878 gazetteer Walter Thornbury published that the establishment, still called generally a Magistrates' House, consisted of "three magistrates, each attending two days in a week". [6] He added:

The chief magistrate has a large addition to his salary, in lieu of the fees taken at the office, which were formerly appropriated to his emolument, but are now carried to the public account. He also has £500 a year (equivalent to £59,453in 2023) for the superintendence of the horse patrol. All the magistrates belonging to this office are in the Commission of the Peace for the Counties of Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, and Essex. [6]

In its later years, the court housed the office of the Senior District Judge (Magistrates' Courts), who heard high-profile matters, such as extradition cases or those involving eminent public figures. Many famous accused people appeared in the court, often before committal for trial at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey or at other Crown Court centres, or when being held on extradition or terrorism charges. These included:

1876-1992 - Station

Meanwhile, the police station was highly active. Officers there went on strike in 1890, Marie Lloyd reported an assault there in 1892 and the station was threatened in the 1939 S-Plan terrorist campaign. Police from the station clashed with Commonwealth soldiers in 1919 and striking workers in 1931. Notable prisoners brought into its cells immediately after arrest included Clara Lambert, Cunninghame Graham MP and Bruno Manser, whilst noted officers there included Norwell Roberts, Robert Holmes, Yvonne Fletcher and future commissioners Joseph Simpson and Peter Imbert.

1992-present

The court in 2006 Bow Street Magistrates Court 2.jpg
The court in 2006
Redevelopment, October 2018 Bow Sreet Magistrates' Court, redevelopment 2018.jpg
Redevelopment, October 2018

The listed status of the building meant that it was not economic to update it to modern standards. [7] It was accordingly considered for closure, enabling better use of a building that faces the front of the Royal Opera House. The police station closed in 1992, its area and that of Canon Row merging to form the area covered by the new Charing Cross Police Station, [8] and in 2004 the court was put up for sale by its joint owners, the Greater London Magistrates' Courts Authority and the Metropolitan Police Authority. In July 2005 the site was bought by property developer Gerry Barrett to convert into a boutique hotel, [4] and the court closed on 14 July 2006.

The final case heard in the court was that of Jason John Handy, a 33-year-old alcoholic-vagrant who was accused of breaching his anti-social behaviour order. Other cases on the last day included beggars, shoplifters, illegal minicab drivers and a terrorist hearing - the first of its kind—in which a terror suspect was accused of breaching his control order. The final day was heavily attended by members of the press. [9] The court's remaining cases moved to Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court [10] which itself closed in 2011, when its work moved to the old Marylebone Court House and renamed Westminster Magistrates' Court.

In 2008 the Bow Street site was sold to Austrian developers who obtained planning permission for a hotel and police museum, while maintaining the facade of the old court building. [11] [12] [13] In October 2016 the site was sold on again, to the UK arm of Qatari investment firm BTC, who used the existing planning permission. [14] A 91-room hotel, run by the New York based NoMad chain, opened in May 2021, as did a public restaurant and a museum of London police history. [15] [16] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Square</span> Pedestrianised square in London, United Kingdom

Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. The square was originally a gentrified residential area, with tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and the artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds. It became more down-market in the late 18th century as Leicester House was demolished and retail developments took place, becoming a centre for entertainment. Major theatres were built in the 19th century, which were converted to cinemas towards the middle of the next. Leicester Square is the location of nationally significant cinemas such as the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square and Empire, Leicester Square, which are often used for film premieres. The nearby Prince Charles Cinema is known for its screenings of cult films and marathon film runs. The square remains a tourist attraction which hosts events, including for the Chinese New Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holborn</span> Human settlement in England

Holborn, an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornbury, Gloucestershire</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

Thornbury is a market town and civil parish in the South Gloucestershire unitary authority area of England, about 12 mi (19 km) north of Bristol. It had a population of 12,063 at the 2011 census. The population has risen to 14,496 in the 2021 census. Thornbury is a Britain in Bloom award-winning town, with its own competition: Thornbury in Bloom. The earliest documentary evidence of a village at "Thornbyrig" dates from the end of the 9th century. The Domesday Book of 1086 noted a manor of "Turneberie" belonging to William the Conqueror’s consort, Matilda of Flanders, with 104 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitehall</span> Road in the City of Westminster, in Central London

Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office. Consequently, the name "Whitehall" is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government, and as the geographic name for the surrounding area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covent Garden</span> District in London, England

Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, itself known as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centred on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Street Runners</span> London police force founded in 1749

The Bow Street Runners were the law enforcement officers of the Bow Street Magistrates' Court in the City of Westminster. They have been called London's first professional police force. The force originally numbered six men and was founded in 1749 by magistrate Henry Fielding, who was also well known as an author. His assistant, brother, and successor as magistrate, John Fielding, moulded the constables into a professional and effective force. Bow Street Runners was the public's nickname for the officers although the officers did not use the term themselves and considered it derogatory. The group was disbanded in 1839 and its personnel merged with the Metropolitan Police, which had been formed ten years earlier but the London metropolitan detective bureau trace their origins back from there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strand, London</span> Major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, London, England

The Strand is a major street in the City of Westminster, Central London. The street, which is part of London's West End theatreland, runs just over 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where it becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and is part of the A4, a main road running west from inner London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bond Street</span> Street in the West End of London

Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the longer northern section New Bond Street, a distinction not generally made in everyday usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Street</span> Street in London, England

Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles to Waterloo Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Marlborough Street</span> Street near Soho, London

Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vine Street, London</span> Street in City of Westminster, England

Vine Street is a street in Westminster, London, running from Swallow Street, parallel to Regent Street and Piccadilly. It is now a dead end that was shortened from a longer road in the early 18th century owing to the building of Regent Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Avenue</span> Street in central London

Northumberland Avenue is a street in the City of Westminster, Central London, running from Trafalgar Square in the west to the Thames Embankment in the east. The road was built on the site of Northumberland House, the London home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland between 1874 and 1876, and on part of the parallel Northumberland Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Road</span>

Bow Road is a thoroughfare in Bow, London, England. The road forms part of the A11, running from Aldgate to Norwich in Norfolk. To the west the road becomes Mile End Road, and to the east is Bow Interchange on the A12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th-century London</span>

The 18th century was a period of rapid growth for London, reflecting an increasing national population, the early stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, and London's role at the centre of the evolving British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Scotland Yard</span> Street in the St. Jamess district of Westminster, London

Great Scotland Yard is a street in Westminster, London, connecting Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall. By the 16th century, this "yard", which was then a series of open courtyards within the Palace of Whitehall, was fronted by buildings used by diplomatic representatives of the Kingdom of Scotland. Over time the land was divided into Great Scotland Yard, Middle Scotland Yard and Little Scotland Yard. In the 19th century, it was a street and open space, which was the location of a public entrance to the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, causing the name "Scotland Yard" to become synonymous with the police service.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the city known as London:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull and Mouth Inn</span> Former coaching inn in the City of London

The Bull and Mouth Inn was a coaching inn in the City of London that dated from before the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was located between Bull and Mouth Street in the north and Angel Street in the south. It was once an important arrival and departure point for coaches from all over Britain, but particularly for the north of England and Scotland. It became the Queen's Hotel in 1830 but was demolished in 1887 or 1888 when new post office buildings were built in St Martin's Le Grand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dixon Butler</span> English architect (1873–1958)

John Dixon Butler was a British architect and surveyor who had a long, professional association with London's Metropolitan Police. During his 25-year career with the police, he completed the designs and alterations to around 200 police buildings, including ten courts; as of 2022, about 58 of his buildings survive. Historic England describes him as "one of the most accomplished Metropolitan Police architects" and have included around 25 of his buildings on the National Historic List of England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Street Police Museum</span> Museum in central London

The Bow Street Police Museum, opened in 2021, is based in the former police station in Covent Garden, London. Bow Street has a unique place in the history of policing in London, with the museum presenting the story of policing and criminal justice in the area from the eighteenth century until 1992, when the police station closed.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bow Street Magistrates' Court and Police Station listing". Historic England . 30 July 2001. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 O’Flaherty, Mark (28 May 2021). "London's most famous courtroom is now the capital's hottest hotel". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 White, Jerry (2007). London in the 19th Century. Vintage. p. 383.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bow Street hits the end of the road" . The Times . 31 July 2005.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Judge laments Bow Street closure". BBC News. 11 July 2006.
  6. 1 2 Thornbury, Walter (1878). "Covent Garden: Part 3 of 3". Old and New London: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher; Keay, Julia; Keay, John (2008). The London Encyclopedia. Pan MacMillan. p. 86. ISBN   978-1-4050-4924-5.
  8. ↑ "London's Bow Street Police Station to be turned into museum". BBC News . 18 December 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Duncan (15 July 2006). "Infamous Bow Street bows out after 271 years". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Bow Street bows out". BBC News . 12 July 2006.
  11. ↑ RISE Management Consulting news (2021). "Appointment of construction manager for conversion of Bow Street Magistrates Court into luxury Boutique Hotel". Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015. (Access date 13 June 2021)
  12. ↑ "Neri & Hu to redevelop Bow Street Magistrates Court in Covent Garden, London". World Architecture News. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2018. Neri & Hu architects are Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu.
  13. ↑ "Neri & Hu - Bow Street Police Museum and Hotel".
  14. ↑ Curry, Rhiannon (31 October 2016). "Bow Street Magistrates Court snapped up by Qatari investor for luxury hotel". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "Forbes, 15 January 2019, New London Luxury Hotels To Check Into In 2019". Forbes . Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "NoMad London to open in December". 8 July 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

51°30′49″N0°07′21″W / 51.51361°N 0.12250°W / 51.51361; -0.12250

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.