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Sheffield Court House


Guest T.T.

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I was recently lucky enough to get a chance to see inside Sheffield's old court house (and before that Town Hall) near Castle Market.

It's a beautiful building, hopefully somebody will be able to renovate it sometime in the future.

Follow the link to more details and pics from my visit.

http://underbelly.posterous.com/sheffield-court-house

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Guest Rustysphotography

I was recently lucky enough to get a chance to see inside Sheffield's old court house (and before that Town Hall) near Castle Market.

It's a beautiful building, hopefully somebody will be able to renovate it sometime in the future.

Follow the link to more details and pics from my visit.

http://underbelly.po...eld-court-house

Nice pics there , as if you missed the cells :D there is 2 rows of them there !!!!!

I was in there myself and was the first in a long time :)

One of my best locations this year i reckon

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I wish we could have it restored. It could be a great museum. They could keep the court and they could do famous court cases there or a themed restaurant. Why is it just sitting there rotting? It's a crime.

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Guest Rustysphotography

I wish we could have it restored. It could be a great museum. They could keep the court and they could do famous court cases there or a themed restaurant. Why is it just sitting there rotting? It's a crime.

I fully agree mate the place is stunning but lots of it is unsafe now . loads of floors dropped through and the court room floors seem bad as well . The place could really look nice tho . I would love to see some shots of the court rooms when they were in use if any such things exist :)

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Guest Rustysphotography

Removed due to not wanting it to look like i was trying to take over Muttleys post on this place . That's why i started a new thread for mine :(

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I wish we could have it restored. It could be a great museum. They could keep the court and they could do famous court cases there or a themed restaurant. Why is it just sitting there rotting? It's a crime.

If as hoped the castle is excavated etc after the markets have gone, it's ideally placed to be a visitor centre for the site. It could also cover the MQoS connection, medieval life, there are lots of other possibilities.

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Removed due to not wanting it to look like i was trying to take over Muttleys post on this place . That's why i started a new thread for mine :(

We do try, to keep all topics with a common theme together, it is a discussion forum, not a personal gallery, please feel free to repost your excellent photo's.

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Remarkable pictures, thanks for posting them. I guess the building's been neglected because no-one can think of a use for it. It's located in what's now probably the most run-down part of the city centre, and it would be a shame if it were to be gutted and rebuilt internally. From Rusty's photos the inside is as remarkable as the outside, if not more so. But without major adaptation, what could it be used for?

Let's hope it can hang on until the area is redeveloped, then there's a better chance of it finding a new life.

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On 16/11/2011 at 20:51, Guest Rustysphotography said:

 

 

 

I fully agree mate the place is stunning but lots of it is unsafe now . loads of floors dropped through and the court room floors seem bad as well . The place could really look nice tho . I would love to see some shots of the court rooms when they were in use if any such things exist :)

Generally speaking, they’re the only photographs you’ll ever see of that or with a particular exception,* any other ACTIVE court house/rooms in E&W as, I think, since the 1920s it’s against the law to use cameras inside them. That’s why you sometimes see the work of ‘court artists’ in high profile cases - producing artistic images of personalities involved in those cases though, personally, even that’s always seemed a dubious activity to me. Arguably, on the face of it, its  a right and proper restriction if you think about it, as the results of casual or even some formal photography in working courts is potentially, a recipe for the  intimidation of persons legitimately concerned in them and also danger of the corruption of  ongoing cases. Of course, it’s never bothered  the Yanks who seem to film freely in their courts and to bring us up to date, there was change in our Law to permit filming in the (relatively newly created *Supreme Court which replaced the House of Lords function of a court of final appeal some years ago) and why we were all able to watch the  proceedings in the Brexit (prorogation of Parliament case) some months back.
I can see the interest which people have in the places where issues of life and death were, indeed still are, dealt with somewhere in The Country,at least once in a working week. Indeed, although I personally spent many years working in them including the one in these (fascinating)  photos I retain an interest in the old buildings many of which are now being closed down - even relatively new ones - due to changes in work loads/patterns. I can confirm  that the atmosphere WAS often as dramatic as it looks in that old building which as viewers, can see was decorated in the ‘heavy’ style of a bygone era - with ample use of beautiful dark wood, brass, etched glass etc. Compared to the lighter more modern, ‘friendly’ style of building. Personally, I think they had a gravitas no longer felt in many courts of today. There is an argument, which I happen to subscribe to, that the surroundings, like the conduct of the proceedings themselves, are part of the criminal, judicial ‘experience’ - and purpose of deterrence. Make them like a visit to a supermarket and that’s just  how some who have transgressed, will regard, what should be salutary and hopefully, remedial proceedings. 
A museum (‘The National Museum of Courts and Justice’ maybe?) A great idea though whether Sheffield is sufficiently financially  buoyant to  support such an attraction, which inescapably, would be expensive to create and run, I very much doubt and thereby lies the problem: in my view it would be quite wrong to turn the place into some sort of frivolous, circus/fairground attraction, though that would be easy to do. It was a serious structure with a serious purpose  and not to preserve that would, in my view, make any attempt to resurrect it pointless. Ok, have your ‘Detol and doom cell experience’ for those who must - the chance to sit in a judges chair etc etc but none on the levity should be allowed to cloud it’s very serous past. Those who may disagree should stop to consider that not only were the circumstances of serious and often fatal injury discussed within those dramatically panelled and lit rooms but at one time - up until the early 60s people were actually condemned to death in such places acting in their periodic but regular, Assize’ capacity (although I confess that I don’t know when the last death sentence was pronounced at Sheffield  - possibly earlier than that). The second worse thing that could befall Castle St Courts would be to try something not fully thought out, then a failure and to see it decline once more - like an old animal - better to be ‘put down’ NOW. 
Finally in the sadness of seeing The Old Girl looking so sick ...but still trying to show a bit o’ leg, I confess a wry smile at the thoughtful  and clever shot ( I hope not purposely created) of the old ‘Blackstones’ law book, remarkably abandoned by its - probably wealthy owner, even  left at a page, a coffee cup and the scent  of *** ash adding reality of daily life in our Courts as they once were. A bit of Marie Celeste about the scenes. 
No longer a resident in that part of The Country, I’m glad and encouraged to see that the Old Girl of Castle Street has some lovers!

 

 

 

 

 

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My grandfather was the police prosecutor in the old Sheffield court house, in the days before CPS took over prosecutions. When he retired in 1976 the magistrates put an article in the Sheffield Star thanking him for his service and for never taking a day off sick in 30 years. I now have that newspaper article as the family saved it.

I kind of followed in his footsteps about 3 years ago when I was allowed access into the building to see the court rooms and the rooms where my grandfather would have stood and worked. I couldn't get all the way upstairs as they ha collapsed. I did take some photos though. It sent shivers down my neck knowing I was stood were he would have once stood.

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Re photographs in a court.

Bearing in mind that the accused is innocent until proved guilty there is the danger that a photograph would prejudice his life if found innocent. I believe that it's also not allowed to sketch inside the court, so those sketches you see on TV are done with the artist observing,, then leaving the court.

Re a future use.

It would make a splendid location for TV and films once known about by Screen Yorkshire. And as at the moment there are lots of cases stacking up in the legal system, any other location would keep the film crews out of the courts. In addition it would be an ideal educational resource for schools.

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