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Middlesex Guildhall occupies a prime position on Parliament Square, but the building has never drawn much attention to itself. It was originally home to Middlesex County Council, and then used as a crown court.
Today, this Grade II building houses the new UK Supreme Court. The Law Lords – who previously did their work largely behind closed doors in a warren of rooms in the House of Lords – are now based here. The creation of the Supreme Court, and a home for it, has ushered in greater transparency to its proceedings, and the building reflects this.
There are three courtrooms in the building: two original Edwardian-Gothic, plus one entirely new space. Large public spaces have been created, with the former custody area now a café, and exhibition space at the base of the building’s internal lightwells.
A public art strategy ran through the entire project: letter sculptors put carved quotes on screens and panels, Sir Peter Blake designed carpets, and the Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi designed courtroom furniture. The result is a modern but suitably imposing civic space for the UK’s highest court.
"A fine example of restoration and re-use."