Inner London Crown Court

Last updated

Inner London Crown Court
Inner london crown court southwark.jpg
Inner London Crown Court
Location London
Coordinates 51°29′54″N0°05′48″W / 51.4982°N 0.0967°W / 51.4982; -0.0967
Built1921
ArchitectW. E. Riley
Architectural style(s) Classical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameInner London Sessions Court
Designated17 September 1998
Reference no. 1385732
Southwark London UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Inner London Crown Court in London Borough of Southwark

The Inner London Sessions House Crown Court, more commonly known as the Inner London Crown Court and distinct from the Inner London Magistrates' Court, is a Crown Court building in Newington, London, United Kingdom. It is located in the Sessions House on Newington Causeway at the corner of Harper Road. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]

Contents

History

Coat of arms of London County Council on gates Inner london crown court southwark arms.jpg
Coat of arms of London County Council on gates

The first building on the site was designed by George Gwilt the Elder and opened as the Surrey County Sessions House in 1791. [1] [2] It was adjacent to the Horsemonger Lane Gaol which was also designed by Gwilt. [3] Important cases in the 19th century included the trial of the Reverend Robert Taylor who was convicted of blasphemy at the Surrey County Sessions in April 1831 [4] and then committed to Horsemonger Lane Gaol. [5] The gaol was demolished in 1881 and replaced by a public park, Newington Gardens, which opened in 1884. [6] In London 19th-century cant it was called The Slaughter House, a reference to the executions that took place there. [7]

Following local government re-organisation in 1889, London County Council inherited the Middlesex Sessions House, which was no longer in Middlesex, and the Surrey County Sessions House, which was no longer in Surrey. For a while the London county leaders decided to share the judicial work out between the two locations. After deciding this arrangement was inadequate for their needs, the justices decided to close the Middlesex Sessions House and rebuild the Newington Causeway Sessions House so that it could accommodate the extra judicial workload being transferred from Middlesex Sessions House. [8] Meanwhile the Surrey county leaders established new administrative facilities for themselves at County Hall in Kingston upon Thames in November 1893. [9]

The new and expanded Sessions House was designed by the London county architect, W. E. Riley, in the classical style and was completed in 1921. [1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 11 bays facing Newington Causeway with the end three bays on each side slightly projected forwards; the central section of five bays featured an arched doorway with a pediment above; there were pedimented round headed windows on the first floor and small square windows on the second floor. [1] The building was designated as a Crown Court venue in 1971 and was extended in 1974 to provide 10 courts for use on the South Eastern Circuit. [10] An annex was also established just to the northeast in Swan Street. [11]

Recent cases at the courthouse have included the trial following the 2009 Upton Park riot in August 2009: 80 people suspected of violence before and after the match were arrested [12] and several West Ham fans were convicted in the courthouse of violent disorder in April 2010, receiving prison sentences, including one of 20 months. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in England 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually established in the county town of each county; however, the concept of a county town pre-dates these councils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Southwark</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Southwark in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.

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

Newington is a district of South London, just south of the River Thames, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey. It was the location of the County of London Sessions House from 1917, in a building now occupied by the Inner London Crown Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex</span> Historic county of England

Middlesex is an area of South East England which was formerly a county; it is now mainly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbouring ceremonial counties. The county's boundaries largely followed three rivers: the Thames in the south, the Lea to the east and the Colne to the west. A line of hills formed the northern boundary with Hertfordshire. The county was the second smallest of the historic counties of England, after Rutland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex Guildhall</span> Building of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in London

The Middlesex Guildhall is an historic court building in Westminster which houses the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The building stands on the south-western corner of Parliament Square, near the Palace of Westminster. In 1970, the building was listed Grade II*.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hicks Hall</span> Courthouse in Clerkenwell, London, England

Hicks Hall, or Hickes' Hall, was a courthouse at the southern end of St John Street, Clerkenwell, London. It opened in 1612, and was closed and demolished in 1782. It was the first purpose-built sessions house for justices of the peace of the county of Middlesex, and became the main court of petty sessions and arraignment for more serious offences, including cases involving plots, attacks and minor transgressions against the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newington Causeway</span> Street in the London Borough of Southwark

Newington Causeway is a road in Southwark, London, between the Elephant and Castle and Borough High Street. Elephant & Castle Underground station is at the southern end. It follows the route of the old Roman road Stane Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newington Gardens</span> Park in London, England

Newington Gardens is located on Harper Road in Southwark, London, England. To the north-west is the Inner London Sessions House, a Crown Court. Its area is 1.697 hectares. The park occupies part of the site of an old prison that was closed in 1878. The park was opened by Catherine Gladstone, wife of the then prime minister, on 5 May 1884.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsemonger Lane Gaol</span> Prison in south London (closed 1878)

Horsemonger Lane Gaol was a prison close to present-day Newington Causeway in Southwark, south London. Built at the end of the 18th century, it was in use until 1878.

George Gwilt (1746–1807), also sometimes known as George Gwilt the Elder, was an English architect, particularly associated with buildings in and around London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex Sessions House</span> Historic site in London

The former Middlesex Sessions House or the Old Sessions House is a large building on Clerkenwell Green in the London Borough of Islington in London, England, built in 1780 as the courthouse for the Middlesex Quarter Sessions. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Street Courthouse</span> Courthouse in Dublin, Ireland

Green Street Courthouse is a courthouse between Green Street and Halston Street in the Smithfield area of Dublin, Ireland. It was the site of many widely discussed criminal trials from 1797 until 2010, when the Criminal Courts of Justice building opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwark Crown Court</span> Judicial building in South London, England

The Crown Court at Southwark, usually referred to as Southwark Crown Court, is a Crown Court venue at 1 English Grounds on the south bank of the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge in London. It operates within the South Eastern Region of His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sessions House, Northampton</span> Historic site in Northampton, Northamptonshire

The Sessions House is a former judicial building on George Row in Northampton, England. The Sessions House, which was the main courthouse for Northamptonshire, is currently used as a tourist information centre and is a Grade I listed building. The building is adjacent to County Hall, the meeting place of Northamptonshire County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Coventry</span> County building in Coventry, England

County Hall is a historic former courthouse in Cuckoo Lane in Coventry's Cathedral Quarter. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston upon Thames Crown Court</span> Judicial building in Kingston upon Thames, England

Kingston upon Thames Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at 6–8 Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Caernarfon</span> County building in Caernarfon, Wales

County Hall is a former municipal facility at Castle Ditch in Caernarfon, Wales. The County Hall, which was the headquarters of Caernarfonshire County Council from 1889 to 1974, is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodhatch Place, Reigate</span> County building in Reigate, Surrey, England

Woodhatch Place is a large office building on Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, England, which serves as the headquarters of Surrey County Council. The main building was built in 1998–1999 as the head office of Canon (UK) Limited, in the grounds of a Georgian house, previously called Woodhatch Lodge, with the original house being retained and restored as part of the development. The complex was bought by Surrey County Council in 2020 and converted to become the council's main offices and meeting place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peterborough Combined Court Centre</span> Judicial building in Peterborough, England

The Peterborough Combined Court Centre is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Rivergate, Peterborough, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guildford Crown Court</span> Court building in Guidford, England

Guildford Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases in Bedford Road, Guildford, England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Inner London Sessions Court (1385732)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. "The History of The Guildable Manor" . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. "Horsemonger Lane Gaol". capitalpunishmentuk.org. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. "The Devil's Pulpit". Calvin Blanchard. 1857. p. 222.
  5. "Blasphemous publications: case of Robert Taylor". Hansard. 22 July 1831.
  6. "London Gardens Online Newington Gardens". London Gardens Online. London Parks and Gardens Trust. 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  7. Dickens, Charles (1972). A London dictionary and guide book for 1879. Howard Baker Press.
  8. "Bust: Old Middlesex Sessions House". London Remembers. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. Robinson, David. "A brief history of County Hall" (PDF). Surrey County Council. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  10. "Inner London Crown Court". Hansard. 30 April 1974. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  11. "Trinity House plans new residential development on Swan Street". London SE1. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  12. "Football yobs facing jail". www.newhamrecorder.co.uk. 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  13. "Millwall: An update". www.whufc.com. 7 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.