Royal Courts of Justice

Royal Courts of Justice
The façade onto Strand
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Court
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Address	Strand City of Westminster WC2A 2LL
Town or city	London
Country	England
Coordinates	51°30′49″N 0°06′48″W / 51.51361°N 0.11333°W / 51.51361; -0.11333
Current tenants	HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Groundbreaking	1873
Opened	1882; 142 years ago (1882)
Cost	< £1 million
Technical details
Material	Portland stone ashlar and red bricks with granite, marble and red sandstone dressings and slate and lead roofing
Floor count	Five
Design and construction
Architect(s)	George Edmund Street
Main contractor	Messrs Bull & Sons
Other information
Public transit access	Temple
Website
Official website
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Royal Courts of Justice: The Law Courts, Screen Walls, Gates, Railings and Lamps
Designated	5 February 1970
Reference no.	1264258

The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by George Edmund Street, who died before it was completed, it is a large grey stone edifice in the Victorian Gothic Revival style built in the 1870s and opened by Queen Victoria in 1882. It is one of the largest courts in Europe. It is a Grade I listed building.^[1]

It is located on the Strand within the City of Westminster, near the boundary with the City of London (Temple Bar). It is surrounded by the four Inns of Court, St Clement Danes church, the Australian High Commission, King's College London and the London School of Economics. The nearest London Underground stations are Chancery Lane and Temple. The Central Criminal Court, widely known as the Old Bailey after its street, is about 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) to the east—a Crown Court centre with no direct connection with the Royal Courts of Justice.