Sessions House, Knutsford

The first venue for the quarter sessions in Knutsford was an earlier courthouse in the Market Place where hearings were held from 1575. Hearings then moved to a building on the corner of Princess Street and Canute Square.{{cite web|url=https://www.knutsford.net/about-knutsford/ |title=About Knutsford|publisher=Knutsford.net| access-date=5 April 2023}}{{efn|The Old Sessions House later became a branch of Royal Bank of Scotland and then a Caffè Nero outlet.}}

In the 18th century, the Midsummer and Michaelmas sessions were held in Nantwich and Northwich respectively but were transferred to Knutsford in around 1760 and 1784 respectively. Thereafter the Epiphany and Easter sessions were held in Chester and the Midsummer and Northwich sessions were held at Knutsford.{{cite web|url=https://www.cheshirearchives.org.uk/what-we-hold/quarter-sessions.aspx |title=Quarter sessions|publisher=Cheshire Archives| access-date=5 April 2023}} The sessions hall in Nantwich had collapsed leading to the deaths of at least nine people and, in the early 19th century, it was agreed that the Knutsford sessions house should be replaced to avoid similar issues.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOvMs5yI8ngC&pg=PA72 |title= Knutsford, Its Traditions and History with Reminiscences, Anecdotes and Notices of the Neighbourhood|first= Henry|last= Green |page=72|year=1859|publisher=Smith, Elder and Company}}

The new building was designed by George Moneypenny in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1818. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing on Toft Road. The central section of three bays featured a tetrastyle portico formed by four Ionic order columns supporting an entablature, a cornice and a parapet. The portico was flanked by narrow bays contained niches, while the outer bays contained doorways (one door for the nisi prius judge and one door for the crown judge) with banded architraves and keystones. At roof level, there was a pedimented roof lantern. Internally, the principal rooms were the two courtrooms.{{cite web|url= https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/knutsford-crown-court-proposal-on-its-future/supporting_documents/knutsfordconsultationpaper.pdf |title= Proposal on the future of Knutsford Crown Court|page=8|publisher=Ministry of Justice|date=25 June 2014| access-date=5 April 2023}} Although the National Heritage List for England, published by Historic England, attributes the design to Moneypenny, the architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, attributed the design to Thomas Harrison rather than Moneypenny.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kl99LwM8BYgC&pg=PA30 |title=Cheshire (Buildings of England Series)|first1=Nikolaus|last1= Pevsner|first2=Edward|last2= Hubbard|page=30|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300095883}}

A prison, designed by the same architect was erected behind the courthouse: it was extended, so that it could accommodate 700 inmates, in 1847. The prison closed in 1914 and was demolished in 1934.

Notable cases included the trial and conviction of the cryptographer, Alan Turing, in 1952, for gross indecency in relation to acts with a 19-year-old unemployed man, Arnold Murray, with whom he was in a consensual, private homosexual relationship.{{cite news|url= https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/knutsford-crown-court-courthouse-barristers-14334435 |title=How two brothers converted a 200-year-old crown court into an incredible restaurant and hotel|date=26 February 2018|newspaper=Manchester Evening News| access-date=5 April 2023}} After public attitudes changed, Turing was pardoned in 2013.{{Cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/story/gay-men-convicted-of-abolished-sexual-offences-to-be-pardoned-10624194|title=Men to be pardoned for abolished sex offences|last=Craig|first=Jon|date=19 October 2016|publisher=Sky News |access-date=5 April 2023}}{{cite book |title=Alan Turing: The Enigma |publisher=Princeton University Press |author-link=Andrew Hodges |last=Hodges |first=Andrew |page=[https://archive.org/details/alanturingenigma0000hodg/page/463 463] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-691-15564-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/alanturingenigma0000hodg|url-access=registration }}{{Cite journal |last=Peralta |first=René |date=23 June 2022 |title=Alan Turing's Everlasting Contributions to Computing, AI and Cryptography |url=https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/alan-turings-everlasting-contributions-computing-ai-and-cryptography |journal=NIST |access-date=5 April 2023}}

Following the implementation of the Courts Act 1971, the former assizes courthouse was re-designated Knutsford Crown Court.Courts Act 1971 (Commencement) Order 1971 (SI 1971/1151) The building continued to be used as a facility for dispensing justice but, in May 2010, magistrates court hearings were transferred to Chester and Warrington. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the closure of the building as a court on a permanent basis in 2014.{{cite web|url= https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/knutsford-crown-court-proposal-on-its-future/ |title=Knutsford Crown Court: proposal on its future|publisher=Ministry of Justice|date=21 October 2014| access-date=5 April 2023}} The owners of Flat Cap Hotels, Oliver and Dominic Heywood, acquired the building in 2016 and converted it into a hotel, restaurant and bar. It opened in that capacity in 2018 and further extensive refurbishment was completed in early 2023.{{Cite news|url= https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/historic-courthouse-near-manchester-famous-26261769 |title= Historic courthouse near Manchester where famous trial took place unrecognisable after stunning renovation|date=20 February 2023|newspaper=Manchester Evenings News| access-date=5 April 2023}}

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
• Listed buildings in Knutsford

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Category:Government buildings completed in 1818

Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire

Category:Knutsford

Category:Court buildings in England

Category:Crown Court buildings