Police Courts: New Bailey Prison

NEW POLICE COURT AT THE NEW BAILEY — PROBABLE REMOVAL OF THE ASSIZES —We have repeatedly noticed the inconvenience occasioned during the Safford Hundred sessions, (which, for the last twelve months, have been held about every six weeks), by the police magistrate being obliged to hold this court in a small, ill-ventilated, and otherwise badly-adapted room, between the present court and the retiring room of the magistrates. To remedy this evil, it was determined some months ago, at general meeting of the magistrates, that it would be expedient to erect another Court, in which the daily examinations of the prisoners from the lock-ups might be conducted with more comfort to the magistrate, attorneys, and witnesses, and with an ease. safety, and expedition, which the present utter want of accommodation wholly precludes. This, we have said, was determined upon some time ago, and Mr. Wright, the architect, submitted to the magistrates a plan for the erection of the proposed court. which was approved of, and the work was to have commenced forthwith, so as to have been in readiness for its intended purpose during the sessions which commence on Monday next. But in common with many other erections, public and private, in this town, it was stayed, in consequence of the turn-out of the operatives in all branches of the building trade having rendered this impracticable; in fact, the work was not commenced.

During the present week, however, the foundations of the new court have been laid, and it is hoped that it will be completed before the next intermediate sessions. Though its chief use will be that which we have named, it will, of course, be available as a second court during the sessions, should the state of the business render such an arrangement necessary or desirable. The court is to be a plain, substantial erection, on the north east end of the buildings at the entrance of the New Bailey, one part of it adjoining the wall of the magistrates' and counsel's rooms. Access will be had to it by the stairs now leading to these rooms, and the total expense, it is expected, will not be more than about £1550. Although nothing has yet been said to that effect, we cannot suppose that the parties who have directed this addition to the judicial accommodations at the New Bailey, can have overlooked the probability that the assizes removal bill having received the royal assent) in six months they may have to provide convenience for the holding of the first assizes for the Hundred of Salford. We have not heard the exact dimensions of the new court, but we understand generally that it will be about two thirds the size of the present court. [Manchester Guardian 31 August 1833 page 3]

THE ERECTIONS AT THE NEW BAILEY In our last we stated the fact that the foundations of a court had been laid, and we also noticed briefly its situation, its dimensions relatively to the present court, and the uses to sthieh it is intended to be put, as others for which it will be available. We find. however, on examining the plans of the proposed erections, that the paragraph in our last would not give an adequate idea of the extent of the alterations and additions now in progress. as not only will there be on that floor a new court, but also a new room for the magistrates in which to transact their private business. and below there will be three new lock-ups, and two large rooms. one for witnesses. and another for prisoners awaiting their trial. Besides the new ground to be taken in at the north-east end of the present buildings, the depth of those now standing, consisting of the small examination room, the counsel room, and the magistrates' room, is to be increased by a corridor to be erected outside the present external wall at the side next the prison yard. This corridor, or private passage. is to be five feet in width. and will form the communication between the benches of the two courts, and the magistrates' and counsel rooms. A lobby will lead from the head of the public stairs to this corridor, which it will join at the bench- door of the present court. This lobby will of course take off a portion of the small examination room, which room will be converted into a private room for counsel, the only entrance to it to be from the present magistrates' room, which is to be the counsel's robing room. There will be a public lobby leading from one court to the other, passing through the present counsel room, and of the same width. It will of course connect the courts at the lower end of each.

So far, we have only noticed the adaptation of the rooms already in use. The new erections will, as we stated last week, adjoin the present magistrates' room, and will consist of a room for the reception of the magistrates, much more spacious than the one now occupied by them. its dimensions as marked on the plan being 23 feet by 18 feet 11 inches. Beyond this room in the same direction, but the upper end extending several feet further into the prison yard, is to be the new court, the dimensions of which are given on the plan 38 by 30 feet, and 20 feet in height. It will be nearly parallel to the present court, and connected with it by the two lobbies we have already noticed, the two counsel-rooms two lobbies we have already noticed, the two counsel-rooms and the magistrates' room lying between the courts and the lobbies.

In the ground-floor of the building the slip of land, by which the upper lobby will be obtained, will be thrown into of the lock-ups. the dimensions of which it will increase by something more than a space or five feet all their width. Under the new magistrates' room will be two new lockups, each 18 feet 8 inches by 10 feet 11 inches, and under the new court there will be third new lock-up 18 feet by 9 feet, a room capable of containing a large number of the prisoners who are awaiting their trial, 18 feet 8 inches by 18 feet. and a commodious room for witnesses, 24 feet inch by 18 feet 1 inch. An inner lobby will communicate between the lockups and the prisoners' room, and probably thence there will be an ascent by a flight of steps to the interior of the dock. A public lobby will communicate between the gates and the stairs to the court and the witness room. We understand that the architect expects, if the present fine weather holds, to have the whole of the new erections covered in during the early part of next month. It is needless to remark that the enlargement of the lock-up room within the New Bailey, has long been needed. Indeed, it has been the subject of complaint from several grand juries and has also been a matter repeatedly under the consideration of the magistrates. We hope that not only will there be better means of ventilation in the new lock-ups; but that some classification of the prisoners will be adopted which shall obviate the evils that have resulted and still result from confining together, even for one night, prisoners of all ages, the sober and the intoxicated, those whose only offence has been against sobriety with those who are but too ready to plunder even their less crirainal companions in these cells. We do not know whether the interior or the court has been laid out; but while upon this subject, we may venture to hope that some accommodation will be reserved for the reporters to the press. Complaints to the utter want of convenience for them in the present court during the sessions have been frequently preferred to the chairman: but. perhaps owing to the mode in which it is divided, there is a difficulty in providing for their accommodation. We trust. after the example which has been set in the highest judicial court in the kingdom, in the erection of a gallery for the exclusive use of the press, that no inferior court hereafter to be erected, will be deficient in affording facilities to the making their proceedings as public as justice and our free institutions demand. [Manchester Guardian 7 September 1833 page 3]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 31 August 1833 page 3 - architect named
Reference    Manchester Guardian 7 September 1833 page 3
Reference    Manchester Guardian 10 May 1834 page 3