Devizes Assize Court is a judicial building in Northgate Street in Devizes, a town in Wiltshire, England. The building, which is currently vacant and deteriorating, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
| Devizes Assize Court | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2007 | |
| Location | Northgate Street, Devizes |
| Coordinates | 51°21′15″N 1°59′58″W / 51.3542°N 1.9995°W |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architect | Thomas Henry Wyatt |
| Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Law courts and county police office |
| Designated | 9 April 1954 |
| Reference no. | 1251744 |
  Shown in Wiltshire | |
History
editThe building was designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt in the Greek Revival style, built in Bath stone and was completed in 1835.[2][3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 11 bays facing onto Northgate Street. The central section of three bays featured a tetrastyle portico formed by four Ionic order columns supporting an entablature and a pediment with a coat of arms in the tympanum. There was a tall double door at the back of the portico. The wings of three bays each were fenestrated by windows with cornices and, at roof level, they were surmounted by cornices and parapets. The end bays, which were recessed, contained niches and, at roof level, were also surmounted by cornices and parapets. Internally, there was a square central hall leading to the courtrooms,[1] which had holding cells below.[4]
In the 19th century, the judicial functions of the county were discharged at Devizes Assize Court in the summer and at Salisbury Assize Court in the lent.[5] The court was the venue of the trial of Rebecca Smith for infanticide. She was found guilty and, on 23 August 1849, became the last woman in England to be hanged for that crime.[6] It was also the venue of the trial of Constance Kent for the murder of her half-brother, Francis Saville Kent. She was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1865.[7]
The first meeting of the provisional Wiltshire County Council took place under the chairmanship of John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath in Devizes Assize Court on 31 January 1889.[8] The courthouse continued to host the local assizes and, from 1972, hearings of the local magistrates' court until the building was closed by the Lord Chancellor's Department in the 1980s.[9] It then lay vacant and deteriorating.[10]
21st century
editIn 2006–7, Kennet District Council, supported by the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust, initiated a study into potential uses for the building.[10] In 2018, a newly established body, the Devizes Assize Court Trust, acquired the building with the aim of converting it into a new home for the Wiltshire Museum.[11] The Devizes Assize Court Trust announced plans to create exhibition galleries and spaces for community events.[12] In June 2023, the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded funding of £300,000 to the museum to enable it to develop plans for the project before applying for a full National Lottery grant in 2025.[13] An application for planning consent for the works, being developed to a design by Purcell, was submitted to Wiltshire Council in August 2024.[14][15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Historic England. "Law courts and county police office (1251744)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Mulcahy, Linda (2010). Legal Architecture Justice, Due Process and the Place of Law. Taylor and Francis. p. 117. ISBN 978-1136862199.
- ^ Graham, Clare (2017). Ordering Law The Architectural and Social History of the English Law Court to 1914. Taylor and Francis. p. xii. ISBN 978-1351913577.
- ^ Moore, Joanne (24 June 2020). "Community to have say on interior of Devizes Assize Court". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "Wiltshire". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Rebecca Smith hanged in Devizes 1849". Roland Millward. 2 May 1924. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Hartman, Mary S. (2014). Victorian Murderesses A True History of Thirteen Respectable French and English Women Accused of Unspeakable Crimes. Dover Publications. p. 125. ISBN 978-0486780474.
- ^ La Vardera, Dee (2013). The Little Book of Wiltshire. The History Press. ISBN 978-0750951937.
- ^ "Devizes Assizes Courts undergo emergency repairs". BBC News. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b Johns, Colin (2007). "Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust 1967–2007" (PDF). Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust. p. 35. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Assize Court, Devizes – saved at last!". Wiltshire Council. 26 November 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Devizes Assize Court Trust". Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Major step towards revitalising Devizes Assize Court as the new home of Wiltshire Museum". Wiltshire Museum. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Derelict building could become new site for museum". BBC News. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Devizes Assize Court redevelopment hits big milestone". Wiltshire Times. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.