Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham

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The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham, England is a Grade I listed, red brick and terracotta building.

Designed by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell of London after an open competition to provide the first assize courts in the rapidly growing town of Birmingham, it is faced entirely in deep red terracotta from the clay of Ruabon in North Wales and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation. A statue of Queen Victoria by Harry Bates surmounts the main entrance. Other figures are by Walter Crane. The rear of the building is less elaborately decorated.

The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria on March 23, 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. Built by Birmingham firm, John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened on July 12, 1891 by Prince & Princess of Wales.

The inside is faced with sandy-yellow terracotta and intricate ornamentation.

It was one of the last buildings to be constructed on Joseph Chamberlain's Corporation Street. Standing at the northern end of the street it is complemented by the similarly coloured Methodist Central Hall.

The site was previously occupied by Alaska Works and a small school.

[edit] Sources

• Images of England - photograph and details from listed building text
• Pevsner Architectural Guides - Birmingham, Andy Foster, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10731-5

Buildings in Birmingham, England  Highrise (In height order): BT Tower | Beetham Tower | Chamberlain Clock Tower | Alpha Tower | Orion Building | The Rotunda | NatWest Tower | Five Ways Tower | Centre City Tower | Hyatt Regency Hotel | 1 Snow Hill Plaza | Quayside Tower | Colmore Gate | The McLaren Building | Metropolitan House | Edgbaston House | Post & Mail Building | Jury's Inn Birmingham   Notable lowrise: 1-7 Constitution Hill | 17 & 19 Newhall Street | Birmingham Assay Office | Baskerville House | Central Library | Council House | Curzon Street railway station | Great Western Arcade | ICC | The Mailbox | Methodist Central Hall | Millennium Point | The Old Crown | Paradise Forum | Birmingham Proof House | Sarehole Mill | Symphony Hall | Town Hall | Victoria Law Courts   Major railway stations: Moor Street station | New Street station | Snow Hill station    Major complexes: Brindleyplace | Bull Ring, Birmingham | Pallasades Shopping Centre    Sports venues: Alexander Stadium | Edgbaston Cricket Ground | NIA | St. Andrews | Villa Park    Lists of buildings: List of tallest buildings and structures in Birmingham | List of Birmingham board schools | Listed buildings in Birmingham