Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Moot Hall is a courthouse at Castle Garth in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The structure, which overlooks the Tyne Bridge, is a Grade I listed building.[1]

Moot Hall
LocationNewcastle upon Tyne
Coordinates54.96880°N 1.60932°W / 54.96880; -1.60932
Built1812
ArchitectJohn Stokoe
Architectural style(s)Greek Revival style
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated17 December 1971
Reference no.1116297
Location of Moot Hall in Tyne and Wear

History

The building was commissioned as a courthouse to replace the facilities at the Castle which were used for holding assizes and which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness.[2] The site selected had formed part of Pons Aelius in Roman times and two copper coins from the time of the Emperor Antoninus Pius and two Roman altars were found during preparatory work on site.[2]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by Earl Percy on 22 July 1810.[2] It was designed by John Stokoe in the Greek Revival style and completed in August 1812.[2] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of eleven bays facing north west with the end bays slightly projected forwards; the central section of three bays featured an tetrastyle portico with Doric order columns supporting a pediment.[1] Internally, the principal rooms were the Grand Jury room (straight ahead from the entrance), the nisi prius court (on the left) and the crown court (on the right).[2] A significant number of cells for prisoners were created in the basement.[2] Alterations were carried out to a design by William Crozier, Durham County Architect, in 1877.[1]

The building continued to be used as the county facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888,[3] which established county councils in every county, the building was also used as a meeting place for Northumberland County Council[4] until it moved to County Hall in 1910.[5]

An inquiry in to the loss of SS Ina Mactavish was held at the Moot Hall in December 1907 and February 1908.[6] The trial of the then 11 year old Mary Bell for the murder of two young boys took place at Newcastle Assizes in 1968.[7] Other notorious court cases held at the Moot Hall included the trial of Robert Black for the murder of four young girls committed between 1981 and 1986[8] and the trial of Albert Dryden for the murder of Harry Collinson in June 1991.[9] The Moot Hall heard all Crown Court cases before the new combined court complex was completed on the Quayside in 1998.[10]

Post court use

After becoming licensed as a venue for civil weddings, the Moot Hall hosted its first civil wedding in September 2005.[11]

In March 2019 Her Majesty's Courts Service decided that the building was surplus to requirements and instructed estate agents Avison Young to market it for sale.[12][13][14] It was announced in October 2019 that the building had been acquired by the property business, Gainford Group, which also owned the Vermont Hotel, located immediately to the north of the Moot Hall.[15]

References
  1. Historic England. "Moot Hall (1116297)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  2. Mackenzie, Eneas (1827). "'Public buildings: The county courts', in Historical Account of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Including the Borough of Gateshead". Newcastle-upon-Tyne: British History Online. pp. 224–229. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. "Letter from Northumberland County Council, The Moothall, Newcastle Upon Tyne". 1902. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. "Vision of the grand entrance to the city which Newcastle is still waiting for". Chronicle Live. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. Leonard, Alan (2008). "The Wreck of SS Ina Mactavish". Picture Postcard Annual: 12–13.
  7. "Mary Bell found guilty of double killing". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. Pithers, Malcolm (13 April 1994). "Killing of girls 'every parent's nightmare': Man denies abduction and murder of three young girls in 'Midlands triangle'". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  9. Blackie, David (2006). Death on a Summer's Day - The True Story of the Murder Britain Watched on Live Television. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1844541904.
  10. "Newcastle Crown Court". The Chronicle. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  11. "Newlyweds agree to life sentence". BBC. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  12. "Chance to buy one of Newcastle's most prominent buildings as Moot Hall goes up for sale". Chronicle Live. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. "Historic Grade I Listed Court Building". Avison Young. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. "Historic Newcastle courthouse hits the market". Insider Media. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  15. "Gainford Group revealed as new owners of historic Moot Hall in Newcastle". Chronicle Live. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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