Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast
The Royal Courts of Justice in Chichester Street, Belfast is the home of the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland established under the Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978. This comprises the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, High Court of Northern Ireland and the Crown Court in Northern Ireland. It is a Grade A listed building. History Until 1920, the most senior courts in Ireland were in Dublin but under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the British Government was required to establish a separate judicial system for Northern Ireland. The building, which was designed by Sir Richard Allison and James Grey West in the Neoclassical style, was built between 1928 and 1933. The building was officially opened by the Governor of Northern Ireland, the Duke of Abercorn, in 1933. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with thirteen bays facing onto Chichester Street with the end bays slightly projected forward; the central section of three bays featured a deeply recessed portico flanked by four Corinthian order columns supporting an entablature; the centre window on the first floor was decorated with a carving depicting the Royal coat of arms. The building was targeted during the Troubles and was surrounded with large