To spot Chester Crown Court, look across Castle Square for a grand, stone building with a long row of sturdy columns at the front and a wide, classical façade framed by trees.
Here we are, right in front of the imposing Chester Crown Court-the kind of building that looks like it’s auditioning to be the boss of all the other buildings on Castle Square! If you glance up at those impressive Doric columns, you can almost imagine stern judges in robes sweeping past, ready to decide the fate of the day’s most peculiar scoundrels. The court you see today dates back to the early 1800s, but before this grand structure stood here, there was another shire hall-built way back in 1310. Picture it: ruffled collars, muddy clogs and the faint whiff of old ale floating through the gates. But, like an old loaf of bread, that building got a bit stale and crumbled into a sorry state by the late 1700s.
By 1785, it was clear the justices needed something grander-so a competition was held to design a new court and prison. The winning design came courtesy of Thomas Harrison, whose vision was clear: make it big, make it bold, and please, no crumbly bits! When the site was chosen on the castle’s outer bailey, work kicked off in 1788, with the air ringing with the clatter of hammers and the shouts of builders. By 1801, the new shire hall was finished-a sweeping façade, nineteen bays wide, with a magnificent portico thrusting out front like a stage. Inside, the main courtroom was awe-inspiring, almost theatrical, inspired by the grand School of Anatomy in Paris. When Charles Dupin, a famous visitor, came to see, he called it the most handsome courtroom in all Europe-take that, Paris!
Fast forward to 1903, and a statue of Queen Victoria herself took up residence outside. Did those stern stone eyes ever wink at nervous witnesses? Well, I’ll leave that to your imagination.
Now, don’t let the calm façade fool you-inside, legendary trials have played out. In 1966, the dark echo of history filled this building when the Moors Murderers were tried here, the court swarming with a tension you could almost taste. At one point, they even installed bulletproof glass around the dock for protection, adding extra drama to the already chilling tales. More mysteries and heartbreak followed, including the trial of Peter Reyn-Bardt, accused of murder after ancient remains surfaced-only for experts to find out the bones were Roman! Imagine being found guilty with the wrong skeleton.
So, take another look at those columns. They’ve quietly watched over dramas, mysteries and moments-some bone-chilling, others simply bizarre-that have shaped the city of Chester. And don’t worry, as far as I know, the ghosts of old judges only come out on leap years!
