The Warwickshire Justice Centre is a

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a

County Court A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the high ...

venue, which deals with civil cases, in Newbold Terrace,

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

, England. The complex also incorporates

magistrates' court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cour ...

, a police station, and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support.

History

Until the early 21th century, the Crown and County Courts in Warwickshire were based at Shire Hall in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. However, as the number of court cases in the county grew, it became necessary to commission a more modern courthouse for both Crown Court hearings and County Court hearings. The site selected by the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

, on the northwest side of Newbold Terrace, had been occupied by a row of

Regency style Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer perio ...

houses erected in the mid-19th century. These buildings had been badly damaged by German bombing during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and replaced by a series of low-rise buildings including some government offices, a magistrates' court building and a police station in the 1960s. The new building was intended to re-recreate the scale and massing of the original Regency style housing. Construction started in July 2008. It was designed by HLM in the

Modernist style Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form ...

, built by Galliford Try in white

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

at a cost of £26.3 million and was completed in December 2010. It was officially opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on 4 March 2011. The design involved involved a main frontage in three main sections facing Newbold Terrace. The left hand section of five bays was fenestrated on the first and second floors by rows of

casement window A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a cas ...

s, which were fronted by a slatted structure which was projected forward. The central section, which was recessed, was formed by a flight of steps leading up to a revolving door giving access to a full-height atrium, while the right hand section, which was taller than the other sections, was fenestrated by a series of recessed

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...

s spanning the first and second floors, which were surmounted by a huge Royal coat of arms. Internally, the complex was laid out to accommodate seven courtrooms, a

, a police station, and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support. Notable cases included the trial and conviction of the radio presenters,

Tony and Julie Wadsworth Tony Wadsworth and Julie Wadsworth (née Julie Mayer) are former English radio presenters who most recently worked for BBC Radio Leicester. In 2017, they were both jailed for historic child sexual abuse. Marriage and radio careers Tony Wadsworth ...

, in June 2017, in connection with historical child sex offences.

References

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External links

Court information
Buildings and structures in Leamington Spa Crown Court buildings Government buildings completed in 2010 Court buildings in England