Canterbury Law Courts

Historically, the quarter sessions in Canterbury had been held in the Guildhall,{{cite web|url=https://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/archcant/1998%20118%20Finances%20and%20Government%20of%20Canterbury%20Eighteenth%20to%20Mid%20Nineteenth%20Century%20Canterbury%20Courts%20of%20Justice%20Panton.pdf |title=Finances and Government of Canterbury: Eighteenth to Mid Nineteenth Century Canterbury Courts of Justice|page=304|publisher=Kent Archaeological Society| first=Frank H. |last=Panton|year=1998}}{{cite web|url=http://www.machadoink.com/The%20Guildhall.htm |title=The Guildhall / Speech House|publisher=Historic Canterbury|access-date=7 March 2023}} and it was not until 1971 that a dedicated magistrates' court complex was established in Broad Street for criminal trials.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LhUAAAAMAAJ |title=RIBA Journal |volume=85| page= 189 |publisher=Royal Institute of British Architects |year= 1978 |quote=Canterbury and St Augustine 1971}} 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,{{cite web|url= https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.7&lat=51.28084&lon=1.09265&layers=168&b=1&marker=51.28204,1.0948 |title= Ordnance Survey Map|year=1970|access-date=7 March 2023}} which had been re-purposed as military accommodation known as "Chaucer Barracks" by the time of the Second World War.{{cite web|url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.2&lat=51.28113&lon=1.09045&layers=193&b=1&marker=51.28204,1.0948 |title=Ordnance Survey Map|year=1970|access-date=7 March 2023}}{{cite web|url= http://friendsofthebuffs-rekr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Journal-No-10-Spring-2005.pdf |title=How we won World War II or "If only Hitler had known"|first=Major Geoffrey|last=Cox|year=2005|publisher=The Regimental Association of The Queen's Own Buffs|page=23}} The proposed courthouse formed part of a broader plan by Canterbury City Council to regenerate the former military site by establishing public offices there.{{cite web|url=http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/ArchCant/132-2012/132-07.pdf |title=Kent's Twentieth Century Military and Civil Defences: Part 3: Canterbury|publisher=Kent Archaeological Society |page=182|first1=Victor T. C. |last1=Smith|first2= Peter|last2=Seary|year=2012}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4sxbSHpVk6EC|title=Canterbury City District Plan Report on Choices and Strategy|publisher= Canterbury City Council| year=1981|quote=Office development on behalf of the Government Property Services Agency at Chaucer Barracks}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/a-judge-of-skill-fairness-119756/ |title=Tributes paid to Canterbury Crown Court's first resident judge, Giles Rooke QC|date=30 January 2017|newspaper=Kent Online|access-date=7 March 2023}} 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.{{cite web|url= http://xhibit.justice.gov.uk/canterbury.htm |title=Hove|publisher=Ministry of Justice| access-date=7 March 2023}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/murderer-of-pcso-julia-james-to-learn-fate-269906/ |title= Julia James murderer Callum Wheeler being sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court|date=8 July 2022|newspaper=Kent Online| access-date=7 March 2023}}{{cite news|url= https://news.sky.com/story/man-who-murdered-pcso-julia-james-jailed-for-life-with-minimum-term-of-37-years-12648018 |title= Murderer Callum Wheeler who 'lay in wait in bushes' to kill PCSO Julia James is jailed|date=8 July 2022|newspaper=Sky News| access-date=7 March 2023}}{{cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/canterbury-crown-court-kent-family-broadmoor-berkshire-b2118529.html |title= Callum Wheeler to be sentenced for murder of PCSO Julia James|date=8 July 2022|newspaper=The Independent| access-date=7 March 2023}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/courts/canterbury-combined-court-centre Court information]

Category:Buildings and structures in Canterbury

Category:Crown Court buildings

Category:Government buildings completed in 1995

Category:Court buildings in England