Court House, St Albans


The Court House, sometimes known as the Old Town Hall, is a 19th-century building in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.
It no longer serves a judicial function. In 2018 the local museum, which had been closed for some years, was rehoused in the building.

Architecture

The two-storey classical building was designed by George Smith and features a portico with Ionic columns over a podium.

History

At the time the building opened the Liberty of St Albans enjoyed the powers of a county.
In 1851 the Bribery Commission held court in the building to investigate the ‘cash for votes’ scandal that resulted in the Borough of St Albans losing its parliamentary representation.
In 1874, Hertfordshire was divided into two divisions by Act of Parliament, the eastern part of the county to be the Hertford division and the western part to be known as the Liberty of St Albans Division, each maintaining separate quarter sessions, but being a single commission of the peace. The Act made clear that, despite its name, the St Albans division was not to be deemed a liberty in any future legislation.
Quarter sessions were abolished in 1972.

Conservation

The building is Grade II* listed with Historic England.