Canterbury Law Courts

Judicial building in Canterbury, England

Canterbury Law Courts

Canterbury Law Courts

Location| Chaucer Road, Canterbury
Coordinates| 51°16′56″N 1°05′41″E﻿ / ﻿51.2821°N 1.0948°E﻿ / 51.2821; 1.0948
Built| 1995
Architect| Property Services Agency
Architectural style(s)| Modernist style

Shown in Kent

Canterbury Law Courts, also known as Canterbury Combined Court Centre, is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Chaucer Road, Canterbury, England.

## History

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Historically, the quarter sessions in Canterbury had been held in the Guildhall,[1][2] and it was not until 1971 that a dedicated magistrates' court complex was established in Broad Street for criminal trials.[3] However, as the number of court cases in Canterbury grew, it became necessary to commission additional courthouse facilities to accommodate the crown court and the county court. The site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department, on the south side of Chaucer Road, had been occupied by a military hospital,[4] which had been re-purposed as military accommodation known as "Chaucer Barracks" by the time of the Second World War.[5][6] The proposed courthouse formed part of a broader plan by Canterbury City Council to regenerate the former military site by establishing public offices there.[7][8]

The new building was designed by the Property Services Agency in a postmodern style, built in grey flint brick and was officially opened by the Duke of Kent in July 1995.[9] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto Chaucer Road. The central section of three bays, which was projected forward, featured a small gabled porch leading to a full height glass atrium. There was a Royal coat of arms fixed to the glass at first floor level. The central bay was flanked by a pair of square columns supporting a wooden canopy, which was projected forward. The outer bays of the central section, which were gabled, were fenestrated by pairs of casement windows on the ground floor and by oriel windows on the first floor. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate ten courtrooms.[10]

Notable cases have included the trial and conviction of Callum Wheeler, in July 2022, for the murder of the police community support officer, Julia James.[11][12][13]

## References

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1. ^ Panton, Frank H. (1998). "Finances and Government of Canterbury: Eighteenth to Mid Nineteenth Century Canterbury Courts of Justice" (PDF). Kent Archaeological Society. p. 304.
2. ^ "The Guildhall / Speech House". Historic Canterbury. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
3. ^ RIBA Journal. Vol. 85\. Royal Institute of British Architects. 1978. p. 189\. "Canterbury and St Augustine 1971"
4. ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1970. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
5. ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1970. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
6. ^ Cox, Major Geoffrey (2005). "How we won World War II or "If only Hitler had known"" (PDF). The Regimental Association of The Queen's Own Buffs. p. 23.
7. ^ Smith, Victor T. C.; Seary, Peter (2012). "Kent's Twentieth Century Military and Civil Defences: Part 3: Canterbury" (PDF). Kent Archaeological Society. p. 182.
8. ^ "Canterbury City District Plan Report on Choices and Strategy". Canterbury City Council. 1981. "Office development on behalf of the Government Property Services Agency at Chaucer Barracks"
9. ^ "Tributes paid to Canterbury Crown Court's first resident judge, Giles Rooke QC". Kent Online. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
10. ^ "Hove". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
11. ^ "Julia James murderer Callum Wheeler being sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court". Kent Online. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
12. ^ "Murderer Callum Wheeler who 'lay in wait in bushes' to kill PCSO Julia James is jailed". Sky News. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
13. ^ "Callum Wheeler to be sentenced for murder of PCSO Julia James". The Independent. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.

## External links

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* Court information