Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham

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Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
Building
Type	Magistrates' Court
Location	Corporation Street, Birmingham, England
Coordinates	52°29′0.75″N 1°53′36″W / 52.4835417, -1.89333Coordinates: 52°29′0.75″N 1°53′36″W / 52.4835417, -1.89333
Construction
Started	1887
Completed	1891
Main Contractor	John Bowen and Sons
Design Team
Architect	Aston Webb & Ingress Bell
Awards and Prizes	Grade I listed

The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham, England is a Grade I listed, red brick and terracotta building that houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

Designed by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell of London after an open competition 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 and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation. A statue of Queen Victoria by Harry Bates surmounts the main entrance. Other figures are by sculptor William Silver Frith to designs by Walter Crane. The rear of the building is less elaborately decorated.

The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria on March 23, 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. Built by Birmingham firm, John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened on July 12, 1891 by Prince & Princess of Wales.

The inside is faced with sandy-yellow terracotta and intricate ornamentation. The terracotta used for the interior was produced in Tamworth.^[1]

Standing at the northern end of the street it is complemented by the similarly coloured Methodist Central Hall.

The site was previously occupied by Alaska Works and a small school.

[edit] References

• Images of England - photograph and details from listed building text
• Pevsner Architectural Guides - Birmingham, Andy Foster, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10731-5

v • d • e Buildings in Birmingham, England Highrise (in height order): BT Tower • 10 Holloway Circus  • Chamberlain Clock Tower  • Alpha Tower  • Orion Building  • The Rotunda  • 103 Colmore Row  • Five Ways Tower  • Centre City Tower  • 1 Snow Hill Plaza  • Quayside Tower  • Colmore Gate  • The McLaren Building  • Metropolitan House  • Edgbaston House  • Post & Mail Building  • Jury's Inn Birmingham Notable lowrise: 1-7 Constitution Hill • 17 & 19 Newhall Street  • Birmingham Assay Office  • Baskerville House  • Central Library  • Council House  • Curzon Street railway station  • Great Western Arcade  • ICC  • The Mailbox  • Methodist Central Hall  • Millennium Point  • NIA  • The Old Crown  • Paradise Forum  • Birmingham Proof House  • Sarehole Mill  • Symphony Hall  • Town Hall  • Victoria Law Courts Major railway stations: Moor Street station  • New Street station  • Snow Hill station Major complexes: Brindleyplace • Bull Ring, Birmingham  • Pallasades Shopping Centre Sports venues: Alexander Stadium • Edgbaston Cricket Ground  • St. Andrews  • Villa Park List of tallest buildings and structures in Birmingham  • List of Birmingham board schools  • Listed buildings in Birmingham