Ipswich Crown Court
Judicial building in Ipswich, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ipswich Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Russell Road, Ipswich, England. It was completed in 2004.
| Ipswich Crown Court | |
|---|---|
Ipswich Crown Court | |
| Location | Russell Road, Ipswich |
| Coordinates | 52.0532°N 1.1442°E |
| Built | 2004 |
| Architect | Austin-Smith:Lord |
| Architectural style | Modern style |
  Shown in Suffolk | |
History
Until the early 21st century, crown court hearings were held in the Civic Centre complex in Civic Drive, which was completed in the 1960s.[1][2] After the judicial facilities in the Civic Centre were deemed to be inadequate, the Lord Chancellor's Department decided to commission a new courthouse: the site chosen formed part of the Ipswich Village Development.[3]
The new building was procured under a Private finance initiative contract in 2001.[4][5] It was designed by Austin-Smith:Lord in the modern style, built by Mowlem and was officially opened by Lord Falconer on 15 October 2004.[6][7] The design involved a long glazed wall, which enclosed the main hall and entrance, and a stainless steel roof which was cantilevered forward on gable walls supported by narrow columns. The gable walls, the columns and the full-height recessed wall on the extreme right, which displayed a Royal coat of arms, were all constructed from white Suffolk bricks. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate five courtrooms.[8]
Notable cases heard at the court have included the trial and conviction of Steve Wright, in 2008, for the murder of five sex workers,[9][10] the trial and conviction of Paul Clarke and Lorraine Thorpe, in 2010,[a] for the murder of Rosalyn Hunt and Desmond Thorpe,[12][13] and the trial and conviction of Stephen Anthony Searle, in 2018, for the murder of his wife, Anne Seale.[14][15]