Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham

The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street is a home to Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

This red brick and terracotta edifice was designed by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell of London in 1886, following an open competition sought to provide the first assize courts in the rapidly growing town of Birmingham. Built by local firm John Bowen & Sons, the building is faced entirely in deep red terracotta and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation.

Similarly, the interior, including the Great Hall, also features sandy-yellow terracotta and intricate ornamentation. The chandeliers in the Great Hall resemble Queen Victoria’s coronation crown and were the first outside London to be powered by electricity. A statue of Queen Victoria by Harry Bates surmounts the main entrance.

The Queen herself laid the foundation stone on 23 March 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. The courts were opened on 21 July 1891 by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Further additions included a projecting bow window on the left in 1891–94 and extensions along Newton Street in 1914. Standing at the northern end of the shopping street, the building is complemented by the similarly coloured Methodist Central Hall, which stands opposite.