Aylesbury Crown Court
| Aylesbury Crown Court | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire |
| Coordinates | 51°48′57″N 0°48′43″W / 51.8157°N 0.8120°W |
| Built | 1740 |
| Architect | Thomas Harris |
| Architectural style(s) | Palladian style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Designated | 7 April 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1117935 |
  Location of Aylesbury Crown Court in Buckinghamshire | |
Aylesbury Crown Court is a former judicial facility in Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The building, which until 1966 was also the headquarters of Buckinghamshire County Council, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
History
Construction work on the building commenced in 1722.[1] It was designed by local architect Thomas Harris in the Palladian style following a design competition supervised by John Vanbrugh but, because of funding difficulties, it was only completed in 1740.[1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto the Market Square; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured a doorway on the ground floor with a wrought-iron grill in the tympanum flanked by round-headed windows in a similar style; there was a round-headed window flanked by Doric order pilasters and pedimented widows on the first floor and a large pediment at roof level topped with three urns.[1] Internally, the principal room was the courtroom.[1]
The murderer, John Tawell, who was arrested after police sent a telegraph message to Paddington Station, was tried in the courtroom and then executed in the Market Square in 1845.[2] An extension to the rear to accommodate the judge's lodgings was built to the designs of Edward Buckton Lamb and completed in 1850, while an extension to the south west, this time to accommodate the county constabulary headquarters, was built to the designs of David Brandon in a similar style to the main building and completed in 1865.[1]
The building continued to be used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place of Buckinghamshire County Council.[3] It was the scene of the trial of the suffragette, Elizabeth Anne Bell, charged with carrying a loaded pistol outside the walls of HM Prison Holloway in 1913.[4][5]
The courtroom hosted the trial of the defendants accused of participating in the Great Train Robbery in spring 1964[6] and then was used for a court scene in the Miss Marple film Murder Most Foul which was released in September 1964.[7] After the County Council moved to the new County Hall in 1966, the old building continued to be used as a Crown Court.[6] The courtroom was badly damaged in a fire on 9 February 1970 and subsequently restored.[1] The building went on to be was used for exterior court scenes in the television series Judge John Deed in the early 2000s.[8]
After the Crown Court moved to the magistrates' courts building further south along Walton Street in March 2018, Buckinghamshire County Council indicated an intention to develop the old building as a hotel.[9][10] However, the proposal, which would involve stripping the interior of the building, including the courthouse, met strong opposition from local people and a petition against the proposal was launched in October 2018.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "The County Hall, including the former town hall, the former county constabulary headquarters and the judge's lodgings, Aylesbury (1117935)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "The Building of the old County Hall and Courts" (PDF). Aylesbury Town Council. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ Cartwright, Colin (2013). Burning to Get the Vote: The Women's Suffrage Movement in Central Buckinghamshire. University of Buckingham Press. ISBN 978-1908684097.
- ^ "Suffragettes under surveillance: Unseen police mugshots of the militant women who won the vote". The Telegraph. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Historic Aylesbury Crown Court closes its doors for last time". Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Murder Most Foul". Reel Streets. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Staff writer (8 July 2004). "Town centre becomes film set for day". Bucks Herald. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
- ^ "Great Train Robbery court in Aylesbury closes". BBC. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Historic Aylesbury Crown Court building closes ahead of plans to turn it into 'stunning' new hotel". Bucks Free Press. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Uproar over hotel plans for Aylesbury's Courthouse". Aylesbury News. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.