Royal Courts of Justice

Royal Courts of Justice

            Took a tour on January 12 with the women’s club.  Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of our guide but he was delightful and had many stories to tell of the history of the courts and of people who have passed through the courts.  And of course, like the really, really cool stuff, there was no photography allowed inside.  Since we couldn’t take photos, there was a wonderful little booklet that he was selling and well worth the price of 2.50 pounds. 

            The building was magnificent.  One of those grand old buildings that would cost hundreds of millions of pounds to build now.  It is in the City of London which is actually only a square mile of real estate that is in the greater area of London so I suppose that technically, only this square mile should really be called London.  Built during Queen Victoria’s reign, one purpose was to bring all the courts together under one roof.  It is a VERY big roof.  And of course, in today’s times, the roof isn’t even big enough yet and the courts have expanded into other buildings and the court has been remodeled and added to many times. 

            Within the buildings are two courts: the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal.  The High Court is further divided into the Chancery Division, the Queen’s Bench Division, and the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division which was replaced by the Family Division in the 1970’s.  The cases heard in this building are generally civil cases with criminal cases being held at the Central Criminal Court or Old Bailey.  What amazed me was that our guide said anyone has the right to come and sit in on a case as a visitor or interested public member except the family division.  There have been some cases so notorious or the claimants so well known that hospitality tents and additional seating has been set up in tents outside the building with closed circuit TV.  But if one was really curious, I think you could just walk in, pass security, see what cases where on the board to be heard that day, and go walk into the courtyard and sit down in the gallery. 

            Way back, when the powers that be decided to build a new court building, they purchased land, about 7.5 acres, where there were slums.  They paid almost 1 ½ million pounds and moved about 4000 people, knocking down some 450 houses.  I sincerely double if those 4000 people got very much, if any, of the 1 ½ million pounds.  Being poor and slums, they were probably just told to get out.    It took over 8 years to build it for less than 1 million pounds but was the first government building to have electricity.  It also had over 1000 rooms which included 88 courts. 

            When you walk into the building and make it through security, you are in the Main Hall or Great Hall.  It is 238 feet long by 80 feet high.  The floor is entirely made of mosaics which would have been laid by hand.    There are coats of arms in the windows.  Towards the back of the Great Hall is the Crypt Corridor which has some interesting history.  Workers were brought in when there was a dispute.  They lived in the corridor in the back so they wouldn’t piss off the strikers and cause fights.  Since they were in the building 24/7, they got bored with nothing to do in the back corridor at night so they would carve the pillars and make decorations on it.  As the architect was an ultra-control freak, he made them stop because he hadn’t put decorated pillars in his plans.  So only a few pillars are carved.   The architect left one pillar unfinished too in that it does not go all the way to the floor.  This is his religious upbringing in that only God is perfect so he built in one imperfection. 

            Up the stairs and down a hallway on one end of the building is the Painted Room and the Bear Garden.  In times past, the Bear Garden was used for meetings while the Painted Room was used for robing.  Supposedly the Bear Garden got its name (it is just a small room off the Painted Room) because Queen Victoria walked through when there were several different groups of people meeting and said that it sounded like a bear baiting competition.   Now they are mainly waiting rooms and still some meeting rooms for clients and solicitors and barristers to discuss their cases. 

            Court 4 is the court of the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.  It is the biggest courtroom and the most elaborate.  We were lucky enough to be able to go sit in this courtroom while we listened to our guide.  It is also one of the few original courtrooms left.  Back in the day, each courtroom was small but elaborate and reflected something of the tastes of the men who used it on a daily basis.  Now, the courtrooms are all monochromatically alike with no character at all.  Court 4 also is one that has a bared area for prisoners since criminal cases may be appealed here and a convicted felon could be brought up from the prison below the building and put into the bared seating area.  The is bared no so much to keep the criminal from escaping but to protect him from the wrath and anger and misery of his/her victims who might be in court. 

            The court personnel still wear robes and the little white wigs of ceremony in courts.  There is a room with robes and exhibits of prior justices that is quite interesting to see.  We were running out of time and had to race through this room in a hurry.  Our guide did pass around some of the hair pieces that are used and they are amazingly stiff and feel like bristles.  Not sure what the composition is.

            The Chancery Division presides over business disputes mainly, trade and industry, mortgage disputes, trusts, patents, probates and such.  The Queen’s Bench Division is into contract disputes, shipping, commercial, computer litigation, personal injury, medical negligence, civil wrongs, and building and engineering disputes.  On either of these courts, the public is welcome to enter, sit in the back two rows, stand when the judge enters or leaves, and follow the instructions of the court and no hats.

            The Family Division is the one court where the public cannot just walk in and sit down but our guide felt that would change eventually.  It handles: divorce, separation, maintenance, domestic violence, and matters regarding children.

            While I think there is a good chance I probably won’t go back to sit through a court case someday, it is nice to know that I could.