Friday Photo: Victoria Law Courts
Todays Friday Photo was taken inside the Grade I listed Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, during a public open day (and not a disciplinary visit!). Architects Aston Webb and Ingress Bell won the competition to design the law courts and the building was completed in 1891. The design is characterized by its red brick and beautifully decorative terracotta facades. The glass dome is in the main corridor, which connects the great hall to the court rooms, unlike the outside of the building, the corridors are a warm sand coloured terracotta. It is situated above an intersection where the route splits off in several directions and the low corridors are lit by the natural light though the double height space. The elaborate detailing to the dome includes ornate but cautionary lettering around the bottom of the opening which you can see a little of in the photo, reading in full; ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour’.
Caroline July 31, 2015
This building has always looked imposing and I remember from my childhood the red brick exterior, but I have never, ever seen the inside of it.