Cambridge Crown Court
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| Cambridge Crown Court | |
|---|---|
 Cambridge Crown Court | |
| Location | East Road, Cambridge |
| Coordinates | 52°12′25″N 0°08′12″E / 52.2069°N 0.1368°E |
| Built | 2004 |
| Architect | Austin-Smith:Lord |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Cambridgeshire | |
Cambridge Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at East Road, Cambridge, England. It was completed in 2004.
Until the early 21st century, crown court hearings were held in the Cambridge Guildhall.[1] After the judicial facilities in the guildhall were deemed to be inadequate, the Lord Chancellor's Department decided to commission a new courthouse: the site chosen had originally accommodated a row of shops as well as a public house known as the "Wheelwright's Arms", which closed in 1960,[2] and later accommodated Mackay's Garden Centre.[3]
The new building was procured under a Private finance initiative contract in 2001.[4] It was designed by Austin-Smith:Lord in the modern style,[5][6] built by Mowlem and was opened on 7 June 2004.[7] It was commissioned as a Tier 1 court centre, used for trial of serious offences including murder, with three courtrooms.[1] The design involved a drum-shaped structure built in rusticated brick.[8] There was a prominent Royal coat of arms mounted on the brick work on the west side and narrow bands of glazing on the east side. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate three courtrooms.[1]
Gareth Hawkesworth became resident judge in summer 2009.[9] Jonathan Haworth is diversity and community relations judge for the court, and was formerly resident judge.[10]