Former Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court and Police Station and attached railings

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 25 October 2024 to amend the name and address and to reformat the text to current standards.

TQ3379 636-1/5/783

SOUTHWARK TOOLEY STREET (north side) Nos.209 and 211, The Dixon Former Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court and Police Station and attached railings

(Formerly listed as Nos.209 AND 211, Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court and Police Station and attached railings

II Magistrates' court and police station. Dated 1906. By John Dixon Butler. Stone to ground floor, centre and attic, as well as to dressings. Red brick in Flemish bond elsewhere. Roof parapeted. Edwardian Baroque style.

PLAN: shallow U-shaped plan of eleven window range. All openings flat-arched unless otherwise noted.

EXTERIOR: three storeys, with attic in centre ranges, over basement. Entrance to court in centre range, up steps, set under tetrastyle porch of Ionic order; balustrade above. All ground floor openings with eared and shouldered architraves; in the side wings the windows have, in addition, an entablature; to either side of entrance the lintels are keyed. Plinth to ground floor sill band heavily rusticated. Banded rustication from this sill band to first floor sill band. Police station in west wing, entrance is flat-arched with semicircular overdoor. the whole set under semicircular entrance canopy.

The Court entrance is flanked by high socles supporting giant Ionic columns to first and second floors; each column has an entablature block from which springs a section of broken segmental pediment. This entablature continuous across the elevation. First floor centre window is tripartite with sharply triangular pediment over centre light only. Second floor window of centre range three-light with eared architraves. The broken segmental pediment backed by high attic; the tympanum of pediment bears the Royal Arms in low relief.

All other first and second floor windows are identical, a description of which follows: first floor with projecting cornice surmounted by a sharply triangular pediment, the whole supported by long, thin brackets; stone spandrels to second floor window continuous; architrave to second floor windows eared; single second floor windows to inner returns of wings. Balustrades to parapet. All sashes of original design. Entrance to Boss Street set in pedimented aedicule. Stacks to return wall. Balustrade continues to return, as well as eared window architraves. At the north-east corner of court a two storey segmental bay with pilasters to corners and responds. To right of bay, flat-arched entrance with round overlight, under porch with semicircular hood.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: iron railings of original design to forecourt and basement area. Listing NGR: TQ3359279906