Greenwich Magistrates Court

786/0/10153 BLACKHEATH ROAD 04-DEC-02 7-9 Greenwich Magistrates Court

GV II

Magistrates Court with police station. 1909, designed by John Dixon Butler FRIBA, Architect to the Metropolitan Police, in a free Classical Style. Builders Patman and Fothingham. Faced in Portland stone with Westmorland mansard slate roof with four stone chimneystacks. Other elevations red brick in Flemish bond. EXTERIOR: Symmetrical front of two storeys and attic with eight bays to central section and remaining windows in projecting pedimented wings. Rusticated ground floor. Stone balustrading to central eight bays incorporating central semi-circular tablet with Royal Coat of Arms, carved in stone by Lawrence Turner. Central part has six flat-roofed dormers set behind the balustrading. First floor has 12-light sashes in moulded architraves with enriched keystones. Ground floor has large 18-pane sashes with similar keystones. Central portico has half-dome with urn finial supported on four Ionic columns and double doors up a flight of stone steps. Left and right side doors have bolection-moulded architraves and double doors. Projecting end wings have Ionic pilasters to two upper floors, paired 12-pane sashes with aprons to second floor, triple sash window to first floor and curved three-light bow to ground floor. Further stone balustrading at street level. INTERIOR: Police station foyer to left side of main entrance has a mosaic tiled floor with MP monogram (for Metropolitan Police) laid by Messrs Diespeker. The leaded lights in the hall are glazed with coloured glass by William Morris and Sons. The door to Court 1, the principal courtroom, leads from the foyer. It is toplit with a decorative plaster frieze around the light well, a monogram of Edward VII in plaster above the bench on either side of the Royal Arms, (the plasterwork by a Mr Bankart0, with the bench in a curved recess, up three steps. The Courtroom has mostly original fittings. The original main staircase is of oak with square newel post with ball finial, moulded handrail and turned balusters. There are two classical wooden fire surrounds in the principal offices on the first floor. Court 2 on the first floor was refurbished c1980. Court 3 has a separate street access and is c1960.

[ "British Architect" 27 May 1910, description and engraving. "Buildings of England. London : South volume p249.]