King's Lynn Crown Court

King's Lynn Crown Court
The entrance to King's Lynn Crown Court
Location	College Lane, King's Lynn
Coordinates	52°45′06″N0°23′38″E / 52.7517°N 0.3938°E / 52.7517; 0.3938 Coordinates: 52°45′06″N0°23′38″E / 52.7517°N 0.3938°E / 52.7517; 0.3938
Built	1982
Architect	Leonard Manasseh and Partners
Architectural style(s)	Modern style
Shown in Norfolk

King's Lynn Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at College Lane, King's Lynn, England. The building also accommodates the local Magistrates' court.

History

Until the early 1980s, criminal court hearings were held in the Guildhall in Saturday Market Place. ^[1] However, as the number of court cases in King's Lynn grew, it became necessary to commission a more substantial courthouse for criminal court hearings. The site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department, on the corner of College Lane and South Quay, had been occupied by a maltster's warehouse, operated by Alexander and James Bowker, which was built in the late 18th century. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

The new building was designed by Leonard Manasseh and Partners in the Modern style, built in red brick at a cost of £1.1 million, ^[5] and was completed in 1982. ^{[6] [7] [8]} The design involved a long asymmetrical main frontage facing onto College Lane. The main entrance was recessed into the main frontage at the left-hand end; a Royal coat of arms of King Henry VIII, which had been recovered from the East Gate when it was demolished in the early 19th century, was installed at first-floor level above the entrance. ^[9] The rest of the main frontage was fenestrated by pairs of tall casement windows inserted into triangular recesses along the whole length of the building. On the South Quay frontage there was a prominent polygonal look-out tower which recalled a tower which had projected from the old warehouse. ^{[10] [11]} Internally, the principal room inside the complex was the main courtroom. ^[12]

Notable cases have included the trial and conviction of Birute Klicneliene, in November 2022, for the murder of Dace Kalkerte, who had been stabbed 16 times. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

References

1. "History of King's Lynn Town Hall". King's Lynn Town Hall. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
2. "Site of Bowker's Warehouse, junction of Saturday Market Place and College Lane". Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
3. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
4. Hillen, Henry J. (1907). History of the borough of King's Lynn. Vol. 2. East of England Newspaper Company. p. 780.
5. "Capital Building Programme". Hansard. 26 January 1996. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
6. Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019). The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity. Taylor and Francis. ISBN   978-0429558689.
7. "Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects". 1986. p. 17. Magistrates and Crown Courts Address: College Lane, King's Lynn, Norfolk Region: Eastern Architect : Leonard Manasseh Partnership
8. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wilson, Bill (2002). Norfolk 2: North-west and south. Yale University Press. p. 484. ISBN   978-0300096576.
9. "The Siege of King's Lynn". Lynn Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
10. "Bawden in King's Lynn". Inexpensive Progress. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
11. "St Margaret's Area Conservation Area Character Statement" (PDF). Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 1 July 2003. p. 31. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
12. "King's Lynn". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
13. "King's Lynn woman who stabbed victim 16 times found guilty of murder". Norfolk Live. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
14. "King's Lynn woman who stabbed mother 16 times guilty of murder". BBC News. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
15. "Woman guilty of King's Lynn murder set to be sentenced". Eastern Daily Press. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

External links

• Court information