Harrow Crown Court
Harrow Crown Court
LocationHailsham Drive, Harrow
Coordinates51°35′38″N 0°20′24″W / 51.5939°N 0.3399°W / 51.5939; -0.3399
Built1991
ArchitectKyle Stewart
Architectural style(s)Modern style
Harrow Crown Court is located in Greater London
Harrow Crown Court
Shown in London

Harrow Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Hailsham Drive, Harrow, London.[1]

History

Until the 1980s, the principal criminal court for north London was the Middlesex Guildhall in Parliament Square.[2] However, as the number of criminal cases in north London grew, it became necessary to commission a dedicated courthouse for northwest London. The site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department had been occupied by a printing business established in the 19th century and known as "David Allan" which produced theatrical posters and ration books; the operation was acquired by HM Stationery Office in the 1920s but the factory closed in the 1980s.[3][4][5]

The building was designed by Kyle Stewart in the modern style,[6] built in red brick with glass features at a cost of £17.6 million,[7] and was completed in April 1991.[8][9] The design involved three sections facing onto Headstone Drive. The central section, which accommodated the main entrance, was fully faced with glass, while the section to the left, which was slightly projected forward, and the section to the right, which featured a prominent Royal coat of arms, were faced with glass on the lower floors and with brick on the upper floors. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate eight courtrooms.[10]

Notable cases heard at the court have included the trial and conviction, in 1998, of the British politician and white supremacist, Nick Griffin, for "publishing or distributing racially inflammatory written material",[11][12] and the trial and conviction, in 2016, of the stalker, Alex Gray, for a seven-year campaign of harassment against the English singer-songwriter and actress, Lily Allen.[13][14]

In 2014, cases at the court were delayed after barristers staged a protest outside against cuts in government funding for Legal Aid to defendants.[15][16]

In August 2023, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete was found in the building, leading to the immediate closure of the building for an indefinite period.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Harrow Crown Court". Gov.UK. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "A visit to Britain's newest and highest court – the Supreme Court". The Kensington Society. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Walter, Don (2005). Harrow A to Z. The History Press. ISBN 978-0750953160.
  4. ↑ "Directorate of Telecommunications: Headquarters; CCE Harrow". DTEL. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Brown, R. S. (1976). Histories of Harrow Highways: Wealdstone and Its Victorian Highways. Vol. 4. pp. 30–33. ISBN 978-0907925040.
  6. ↑ Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019). The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-0429558689.
  7. ↑ "Capital Building Programme". Hansard. 26 January 1996. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  8. ↑ The Entente Cordiale at the Courthouse. Vol. 156. Justice of the Peace. 1992. p. 187. ISBN 9781872328706. the recent opening of the Crown Court at Harrow may claim to be unique in at least one respect
  9. ↑ Catering contract. Vol. 184. Caterer & Hotelkeeper. 1991. The start date for the service will be 1 April 1991...Catering Contract Crown Court at Harrow
  10. ↑ "Courts plan to install hundreds of perspex screens in bid to hold more jury trials with social distancing". The Evening Standard. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "CPS refuses to reveal details of Nick Griffin's race hate trial". The Guardian. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  12. ↑ Ware, Vron; Back, Les (2002). Out of Whiteness: Color, Politics, and Culture. University of Chicago Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0226873411.
  13. ↑ "Singer Lily Allen's stalker sectioned". BBC News. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  14. ↑ O'Carroll, Lisa (10 June 2016). "Lily Allen's stalker detained indefinitely under Mental Health Act". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Proctor, Ian (5 March 2014). "Barristers hold 'anti-legal aid cuts' protest outside Harrow Crown Court". Getwestlondon. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  16. ↑ Bewley, Hannah (5 March 2014). "Cases disrupted at Harrow court during legal aid protest". Getwestlondon. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  17. ↑ Jackson, Liz (25 August 2023). "Harrow Crown court closed after dangerous concrete found". BBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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