Middlesex Guildhall

The Middlesex Guildhall is a building in London's City of Westminster on Parliament Square and the seat of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

History

On the grounds on Parliament Square there used to be the bell tower of Westminster Abbey. Between 1750 and 1800 the square was also used as a marketplace. After the judge of the City and Liberty of Westminster had taken over the premises, Samuel Pepys Cockerell built in 1805 the first town hall in the shape of an octagon with a courtyard in the Doric style. As part of the 1889 Westminster County of London was, was the site on which stood the town hall, in the context of local government reform in the county of Middlesex. 1893 was built to the designs of Frederick Hyde Pownall a new building in the Tudor style.

The present building was designed by J. S. Gibson and built in the years 1912/1913. So it blends with its surroundings, gargoyles and statues of the sculptor Henry Charles Fehr were mounted in the style of the Middle Ages. In 1964, the County of Middlesex was dissolved and the building served as a criminal court with seven courtrooms.

On the back of the building part of the wall of the Tothill Fields Bridewell Prison is embedded.

Rebuilding

After the British government had the Middlesex Guildhall selected as the seat of the Supreme Court, the architects Feilden Mawson and Foster Partners were commissioned to design the renovation. These plans were highly controversial. Besides the high cost of over £ 50 million preservationists feared that the proposed conversion would not be such an important building needs. Although the building is listed in the list of monuments as important building of general interest, according to these plans, much of the original furniture was removed.