Magistrate's Court
Text: Chester City Council
The new Magistrate's Court opened in 1991 and replaced the old courts in the Town Hall.
The site, at the junction of Grosvenor Steet and the inner ring road (formerly Nicholas Street) was one of the most prominant and sensitive in Chester. In the 19th century it was occupied by the neo-classical St. Bridget's Church, built in the style of Thomas Harrison's remarkable Greek Revival castle buildings just across the road.
The Court, designed by Cheshire County Council's Department of Architecture, has been acclaimed as one of the most successful 20th century buildings in the city centre. The form is strong and distinctive, but does not domnate the surrounding Georgian and Victorian buildings. Each courtroom has its own separate roof, so that the massing is subtly broken up. It won a Civic Award in 1995 as "an outstanding example of a truly modern building fitting well into a historic site".