A Landmark Day: The Opening of Liverpool’s Assize Courts at St George’s Hall
Posted on December 9, 2025
Monday 8 December, 1851 stands as a landmark date in the history of Liverpool and of St George’s Hall. This was the momentous day the Assize Courts were first held within the Hall’s newly completed chambers, marking the culmination of a sixteen-year long journey that began when Liverpool was granted the status of an assize town.
What is an Assize Court?
A court which formerly sat at intervals in each county of England and Wales to administer the civil and criminal law. In 1972 the civil jurisdiction of assizes was transferred to the High Court, and the criminal jurisdiction to the Crown Court.
In August 1835, Liverpool first served as the assize town for the Southern Division of Lancashire (covering West Derby and Salford Hundreds) for serious criminal and civil cases. Prior to this, prisoners from South Lancashire had endured the long journey to Lancaster for trial. Initially, the Assize Courts were housed temporarily at the Sessions House in Rumford Street (built in the 1820s), near Liverpool Town Hall.
As early as 1836, the location of the Old Infirmary yard, adjacent to the bustling Lime Street Railway Station, was identified as the ideal site for a permanent Court House, described as “the principal entrance into Liverpool from London, Birmingham, Manchester, &c.” (Letter, Liverpool Albion, 5 December 1836),
Pictured above: The Crown court (Court No.1) in the early 1900s, taken by the superintendent of the building of the time, Henry Jennings.
The Liverpool Improvement Act was passed by Parliament in July 1837. This act granted Liverpool the power to appropriate the site of the Old Infirmary and the Lunatic Asylum to erect buildings for the Assize and Sessions Courts, as well as the building that would become St George’s Hall. These powers ultimately led to the creation of the St George’s Hall we know today, a single structure combining the Law Courts with a hall for both the people and music.
Real commitment to construct the new Courts of Assize only happened in September 1838, with the resolution that new courts should be erected “with as little delay as possible, upon a scale commensurate with the proper accommodation of the southern division of this county, and the respectability of the town.” (Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser, 7 September 1838).
Pictured above: Civil Court 1, St George’s Hall
Construction moved forward, with foundations dug in 1841. By October 1851, the courtroom was sufficiently complete to receive a visit from Queen Victoria herself.
The official proceedings began on Saturday 6 December 1851. The day was marked by the traditional civic procession, led by the mayor, welcoming the visiting judges, Justice Baron Parke and Justice Erle, who arrived by train at 3pm.
Huge crowds gathered to watch the judges, accompanied by the mayor, town clerk, and other civic officials, enter St George’s Hall. Justice Erle opened the commission in the nisi prius court (Court No. 2), adjourning the court until Monday.
The formal opening of the Assizes Courts was held on Monday 8 December 1851. Justice Parke took his seat in the Crown Court (Court Room No. 1) at 11 am. The room was filled to capacity, with attendees including the full Council of Liverpool and distinguished guests like Lord Sefton (Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire) and his wife Lady Sefton.
Pictured above: Civil Court 2, St George’s Hall
Following the charging of the grand jury, the judges and guests retired to the Hall’s library room for a “splendid luncheon.” Catered by Mr Lynn of Liverpool’s Waterloo Hotel (which was on Ranelagh Street), the menu was lavish, featuring turtle soup, cold fowl, game, champagne, ice punch, and various wines. History was made that day as the courts administered justice for the first time in their new surroundings.
The first person to have the dubious honour of being sentenced in the courtroom was William Kenworthy, aged 40, from Manchester, who pleaded guilty to burgling the house of a Jane Peares. He was sentenced to six months in Kirkdale House of Correction.
Among other trials in Court No. 1 that day, Mary Hines, an 18 year old, who had been charged with assaulting a man named Christopher Webster, a travelling salesman for a brewery, and robbing £2 14s from him. She was found guilty and due to her having been in trouble with the law previously, became the first person in Court No.1 to be sentenced to transportation to Australia for 10 years!
In Court No. 2 William Wagden, aged 20, was charged with stealing tools and cutting and wounding a man with the intent to kill him. He was found guilty by the jury of intent to do grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 15 years’ transportation.
By the close of the week, the new courts had presided over the trials of 85 people, with 25 defendants being acquitted. History was also made on 8 December 1851 through the building’s innovative heating and ventilation system, designed by physician and chemist Dr David Boswell Reid, which made St George’s Hall the world’s first air-conditioned building.
Pictured above: The blue plaque introduced into the building by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) confirming the building’s special status as the world’s first to be air-conditioned.
The law courts continued to serve Liverpool within St George’s Hall for well over a century until 1984, when court business was transferred to the new Queen Elizabeth II courts.
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Written by Liverpool City Halls Tour Guide, James O’Keefe.