Lewes Crown Courtis aCrown Courtvenue in Lewes High Street,Lewes,East Sussex,England. It forms part of the Lewes Combined Court Centre which it shares with LewesCounty Court.The building, which was known as the "County Hall" from an early stage, was also the headquarters ofEast Sussex County Councilfrom 1889 to 1938: it is aGrade II* listed building.[1]
| Lewes Crown Court | |
|---|---|
 Lewes Crown Court in 2022 | |
| Location | Lewes,East Sussex |
| Coordinates | 50°52′23″N0°00′35″E/ 50.8730°N 0.0096°E |
| Built | 1812 |
| Architect | John Johnson |
| Architectural style(s) | Classical style |
Listed Building– Grade II* | |
| Designated | 25 February 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1043780 |
  Location of Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex | |
History
editThe building, which was designed byJohn Johnsonin theclassical style,was built inPortland stonebetween 1808 and 1812.[1]The design for the building involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing the High Street; the central section of three bays featured a recess with sixDoric ordercolumns supporting the upper floors; there werecasement windowson the first floor and flanking wings which slightly projected forwards.[1]Above the first floor windows were reliefs which depictedWisdom,JusticeandMercy.[1]The building was extended by two bays to the east in a similar style later in the 19th century.[1]The building was known as "County Hall" from an early stage.[1][2][3]
The structure was originally used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of theLocal Government Act 1888,which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place ofEast Sussex County Council.[4]The county council movedPelham Housein 1938, from when the building in Lewes High Street was used solely for accommodating theassizecourts.[5]The county council then moved on from Pelham House toSt Anne's Crescentin Lewes in 1968.[5]Following the implementation of theCourts Act 1971,the former assizes court was re-designated Lewes Crown Court.[6]
Cases
editNotable cases held at Lewes Assizes, later Lewes Crown Court, include:
- 1920: The "Crumbles Murder case"in which Jack Field and William Thomas were convicted of the murder of Irene Munro[7][8][9]
- 1930: The trial ofSidney Harry Foxfor themurder of his motherfor insurance money[10]
- 1934: The acquittal of Tony Mancini for the"Brighton Trunk Murder"of Violet Kaye, to which he later confessed[11]
- 1949:John Haigh,the "acid bath murderer"[12]
- 1956:John Bodkin Adams,previously acquitted of murder at theOld Bailey,was tried at Lewes for collateral offences[13]
- 1998: Trial of Sion Jenkins for themurder of Billie-Jo Jenkins(later acquitted)[14]
- 2001:Roy Whitingwas tried and convicted of themurder of Sarah Payne[15]
- 2004: Graham Coutts was tried and convicted of themurder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst[16]
- 2004: Andrew Wragg was acquitted ofmurdering his sonand sentenced to two years formanslaughter[17]
- 2009: Martin and Nathan Winter, and their company Alpha Fireworks Ltd, were found guilty of the manslaughter of twoEast Sussex Fire & Rescue Servicefirefighters in the 2006 Marlie Farm Fireworks Explosion[18]
- 2010: Bridget Kathleen Gilderdale was acquitted of the attempted murder of her daughter,Lynn Gilderdale(anMEsufferer)[19]
References
edit- ^abcdefHistoric England."Law Courts, Lewes (1043780)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved13 August2019.
- ^Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons.Vol. 46. UK Parliament. 16 February 1837. p. 331.Retrieved15 October2020.
- ^"The County Hall and High Street, Lewes".Victoria and Albert Museum. 1940.Retrieved15 October2020.
- ^"Local Government Act 1888".Legislation.gov.uk.Retrieved17 August2019.
- ^ab"History of East Sussex County Council: Meetings and buildings".Retrieved17 August2019.
- ^Courts Act 1971 (Commencement) Order 1971 (SI 1971/1151)
- ^"The Ultimate Crime".www.real-crime.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 14 June 2007.Retrieved20 October2009.
- ^Wilson, Colin; Patricia Pitman (1984).Encyclopedia of Murder.London:Pan Books.pp. 239–240.ISBN0-330-28300-6.
- ^Albert Borowitz (2002).Blood & ink: an international guide to fact-based crime literature.Kent State University Press. p. D-43.ISBN0-87338-693-0.
- ^F. Tennyson Jesse(1950). "Sidney Fox". In James H. Hodge (ed.).Famous Trials III.Penguin Books. pp. 43–96.
- ^"Trunk murders revisited".The Argus. 27 June 2002.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^"John George Haigh".Old Police Cells Museum. Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2021.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^Cullen, Pamela V. (2006).A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams.London: Elliott & Thompson. p. 249.ISBN1-904027-19-9.
- ^"Still no justice for Billie-Jo 19 years on".Hastings Observer.15 February 2016.Retrieved26 April2021.
- ^"Anger as man faces court over Sarah Payne murder".The Guardian.7 February 2001.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^"Musician found guilty of murder of teacher".The Guardian.4 February 2004.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^"Drunken father killed ailing son".The Guardian.1 March 2005.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^"Fireworks factory owner jailed over fatal explosion".The Guardian.16 December 2009.Retrieved18 August2019.
- ^"Mother cleared of ME daughter's attempted murder".BBC. 25 January 2010.Retrieved18 August2019.