Chester Crown Court
Chester Crown Court is a judicial facility at Castle Square in Chester, Cheshire. It is a Grade I listed building.[1]
Chester Crown Court | |
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Location | Chester, Cheshire |
Coordinates | 53.1858°N 2.8918°W |
Built | 1801 |
Architect | Thomas Harrison |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Designated | 1 June 1967 |
Reference no. | 1271823 |
Location of Chester Crown Court in Cheshire |
History
A previous Shire Hall had been built just outside the main gate in 1310 but was in a derelict state by the late 18th century.[2] A new building, designed by Thomas Harrison, was completed in 1801.[1] Its façade is about 250 feet (76 m) long and 25 feet (8 m) high, in nineteen bays with two storeys. At its centre is a Doric-style portico with twelve columns (in two rows), projecting forwards by about 10 feet (3 m).[3] The imposing courtroom was inspired by the School of Anatomy in Paris.[4] It was used as a facility for dispensing justice from the early 19th century and continues to be used as a Crown Court.[5] Famous trials at the court have included those of the Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, known as the Moors Murderers, in April 1966.[6]
References
- Historic England. "Assize Courts Block, Chester (1271823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- Barrow, J S; Herson, J D; Lawes, A H; Riden, P J; M V J, Seaborne (2005). "'Major buildings: Castle', in A History of the County of Chester: Volume 5 Part 2, the City of Chester: Culture, Buildings, Institutions". London: British History Online. pp. 204–213. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- Champness, John (2005), Thomas Harrison, Georgian Architect of Chester and Lancaster, 1744–1829, Lancaster: Centre for North-West Regional Studies, Lancaster University, pp. 47–49, ISBN 1-86220-169-2
- "Chester's architecture in Grosvenor Museum exhibition". BBC. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Courts". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "How The Chester Chronicle covered the infamous Moors Murders trial". Chester Chronicle. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2019.