The former Banco Court of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...

is a heritage-listed courthouse at St James Road, Sydney, Australia. It was designed by

Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...

and built from 1895 to 1896. It forms part of the historic complex known sometimes as the "St James Law Courts" or the "King Street Courts". The property is owned by the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

, a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999. The historic Banco Court building is not the current Banco Court (i.e. the large courtroom where the judges of the court can sit '' in banco'') of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Since the construction of the Law Courts Building on Queen's Square nearby, the Banco Court has been located on level 13 of that building. The modern Banco Court is used for full court sittings, as well as ceremonies.

History

The Banco Court building facing St James Road was the last building to be constructed on the island site formed by Elizabeth Street, St James Road, Queen's Square and King Street. It was designed by the Government Architect W. L. Vernon and built in 1895–96. The four main buildings on the site: St James Church and the old Court House (now called the Greenway Wing) facing King Street, the old Registry Office facing Elizabeth Street, and the Banco Court, together form an ensemble that preserves its external fabric from the end of the 19th century. The three historic court buildings within this ensemble is sometimes called the "King Street Courts" or the "

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

House" group. The building was designed to house a larger court room which can accommodate all the justices of the Supreme Court sitting as one panel, or '' in banco'', for large hearings as well as ceremonies. The building also includes chambers for judges, offices, and rooms for barristers, witnesses and the jury when attending court. A small garden lies to the side, overlooked by the chambers of the Chief Justice, designed to evoke the courtyard gardens of the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...

.Dictionary of Sydney - King Street Courts
/ref> The modern, high-rise Supreme Court building, located on the other side of Queen's Square, was completed in 1977. The Banco Court room moved to level 13 of the new building. The King Street Courts were used for a time by the

District Court of New South Wales The District Court of New South Wales is the intermediate court in the judicial hierarchy of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a trial court and has an appellate jurisdiction. In addition, the Judges of the Court preside over a rang ...

, until 1994, but are now used again by the Supreme Court. The building was awarded the 2004 Energy Australia National Trust Heritage Award.

Description

The Banco Court is a Federation Free Classical building with Baroque influenced decoration evident in the intricate

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

carving around the window and building entrances. Interiors feature intact elaborate

plasterwork Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster Molding (decorative), decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called parge ...

and cedar joinery. This building relates well in design and siting to the neighbouring St James' Church. The Banco Court is constructed in face red brick which has contrasting sandstone detailing and trim. Interior materials include cedar joinery and plastework.r The building is in good condition.

Heritage listing

As at 11 January 2001, the Sydney Supreme Court building (Banco Court) located at the rear of the Old Registry building facing St James Road has historic significance as part of the Supreme Court complex. The building has aesthetic significance as a fine and largely intact example of an early twentieth century building in the Federation Free Style, and as the only courthouse in the city constructed in this style. The building makes an important contribution to the character of the immediate area, and with its small town scale blends well with the older buildings in the complex. The building has historic and social significance as part of the site. The site is significant as the location chosen for Macquarie's first Georgian Public School which was modified during construction to accommodate the first New South Wales Supreme Court building. Representative of the style as used in a courthouse building and the quality of the interior detailing is representative of the importance given to judicial buildings at the turn of the century.Peddle Thorp & Walker Pty Ltd, January 1998 The Banco Court, Sydney Supreme Court House was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

Attribution

External links

* * {{Sydney central business district historical attractions, state=collapsed New South Wales State Heritage Register sites located in the Sydney central business district Supreme Court of New South Wales Courthouses in Sydney Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Government buildings completed in 1896 Walter Liberty Vernon buildings in Sydney Federation style architecture Government buildings in Sydney