Former Lambeth Magistrates' Court

Former Lambeth Magistrates' Court is a Criminal Magistrates court built in 1869 by Thomas Charles Sorby. The building was constructed in the Gothic style and the north front was heightened in the 1930s. It is built of red brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings and a slate roof. The building is asymmetrical and varies between one and three storeys, featuring irregular fenestration with mainly mullioned and transomed casements. The building comprises the Magistrates Court and Offices to the north, and a Cell Block to the south.

The west front, which serves as the entrance, is mainly one storey with a brick parapet containing three bands of arched fretted balustrading. The north side has a two-storey bay. The ground floor features three mullioned and transomed casements with arched heads. A tiled panel and hood moulding link the northernmost window to the first-floor window, which is a mullioned and transomed window of two lights. A dogtooth cornice sits above, and a gable with stone kneelers is at the peak. The centre of the ground floor projects, bearing the inscription "18 AD 69" above a central window, and a Royal Coat of Arms within a gabled surround. Flanking the central window are arched doorcases with two arched fanlights, each with plank doors and elaborate hinges. An arched doorcase with fretted balustrading sits to the extreme north. The north front’s added second floor incorporates mullioned windows, some with Caernarvon arches. A one-storey vestibule of one bay is located to the north-east. The east front has three double cinquefoil-headed lights to the Court, and to the south is a two-storey cell block with four small mullioned windows.

The entrance hall features a roof with chamfered oak beams, a well staircase, and original panelled doors. The Court Room has a hipped boarded roof and retains all original fittings including a wooden canopy, dock, and panelled benches. A subsidiary staircase with turned balusters is located to the rear, and the building incorporates half-tiled corridors. Some 19th century fireplaces are present. The cells remain unaltered, some with Victorian sanitary fittings. The building represents the earliest surviving example of a Criminal Magistrates Court in the Metropolitan area.