The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is a Grade I

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

red brick and terracotta building that now houses

Birmingham Magistrates' Court Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

History

Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in pa ...

& Ingress Bell of London after an open competition in 1886, assessed by architect Alfred Waterhouse, to provide the first assize courts in the rapidly growing town of Birmingham, it is faced entirely in deep red terracotta from the clay of Ruabon in

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation. A statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

by Harry Bates surmounts the main entrance. Other figures are by sculptor William Silver Frith to designs by

Walter Crane Walter Crane (15 August 184514 March 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Ka ...

. The rear of the building is less elaborately decorated. The foundation stone was laid by

on 23 March 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. Built by Birmingham firm John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened on 21 July 1891 by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Additions were made adding a projecting bow window on the left in 1891–94 and extensions along Newton Street in 1914. The interior, including the Great Hall, is faced with sandy-yellow terracotta and intricate ornamentation. The terracotta used for the interior was produced by

Gibbs and Canning Limited Gibbs and Canning Limited was an English manufacturer of terracotta and, in particular, architectural terracotta, located in Glascote, Tamworth, and founded in 1847. The company manufactured a wide range of terracotta and faience: statues o ...

of Tamworth. The chandeliers in the great hall resemble Queen Victoria’s coronation crown and were the first outside London to be powered by electricity. Standing at the northern end of the shopping street, it is complemented by the similarly coloured

Methodist Central Hall The Methodist Central Hall (also known as Central Hall Westminster) is a multi-purpose venue in the City of Westminster, London, serving primarily as a Methodist church and a conference centre. The building, which is a tourist attraction, also ho ...

, which stands opposite. The site was previously occupied by Alaska Works and a small school.

Future

A proposal was made, prior to the 2010 UK General Election, to move the magistrates' court to
new purpose-built building
nearby. This proposal was shelved, indefinitely, by the incoming coalition government led by David Cameron as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

, with Ken Clarke as the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

and

Secretary of State for Justice The secretary of state for justice, also referred to as the justice secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the Un ...

(being the responsible Minister).

References

{{BirminghamBuildings Grade I listed law buildings Court buildings in England Government buildings completed in 1891 Birmingham, Victoria Grade I listed buildings in Birmingham