Sheffield Crown Court stands in centre of Sheffield, The building was commissioned to replace Sheffield’s first town hall, which had opened in 1700 to a design by William Renny. This first structure stood by the parish church, on a site with little prospect for extension. The Old Town Hall was built in 1807–8 by Charles Watson, and was designed to house not only the Town Trustees but also the Petty and Quarter Sessions. The initial building was a five-bay structure fronting Castle Street, but it was extended in 1833 and again in 1866 by William Flockton (1804-1864) of Sheffield and his partner for the project, Abbott; the most prominent feature was the new central clock tower over a new main entrance that reoriented the building to Waingate. At the same time, the building’s courtrooms were linked by underground passages to the neighbouring Sheffield Police Offices.
It played host to a number of notable cases - including the murder trial of Ian Wood, who shot dead his pregnant mistress in 1986 before fleeing to France and trying to throw himself off a cathedral.
However, in 1997 the city opened a new court building, and the hall was sold off and left to crumble.
Local campaigners have long called for the hall to be filled once again so that Sheffield can make the best use of its historic heritage.
In 2007, the Victorian Society named it one of the most endangered 19th-century buildings in the UK.
It played host to a number of notable cases - including the murder trial of Ian Wood, who shot dead his pregnant mistress in 1986 before fleeing to France and trying to throw himself off a cathedral.
However, in 1997 the city opened a new court building, and the hall was sold off and left to crumble.
Local campaigners have long called for the hall to be filled once again so that Sheffield can make the best use of its historic heritage.
In 2007, the Victorian Society named it one of the most endangered 19th-century buildings in the UK.
