A couple of weeks ago I was walking around Westminster enjoying a bit of sight-seeing, mostly the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I had decided to take a photo of the statue of Abraham Lincoln that is at the far end of Parliament Square.
the statue of Abraham Lincoln that stands in front of the Supreme Court Building. This is a replica of a work by the American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens which is located in Lincoln Park, Chicago
As I crossed the road at the traffic light I suddenly noticed the very beautiful facade of the building to my left….
The Supreme Court; carvings above the entramce
This amazing building just happened to be The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom! Oh! my word….it is beautiful. I had never noticed it before, but for sure now that I had….it was time to explore. I stepped into the foyer and to my delight discovered that we, the public, we free to visit and walk about. Wow, this building should be added to London’s listed of hidden gems!
The building has three storeys, a basement and dormered attic storey with a steep hipped roof which is nine bays wide. The entrance is a segmental arched deep set portal with great segmental arched window above, framed by canted bay turrets (English Heritage listing description).
sculptures on the left-hand side of the Supreme Court entrance
A tower, with large arched windows and lofty stone chimney stacks, rises above the building to the same height as the nearby parish church of St Margaret. The exterior is decorated with fine stone carvings and parapets and dormers that mirror Barry and Pugin’s Palace of Westminster.
carvings on the right-hand side of the entrance
The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in the United Kingdom. It plays an important role in the development of our law, deciding points of law of the greatest public importance. The Supreme Court was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and sat for the first time in October 2009. The Court now undertakes the work previously carried out by the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.
The Supreme Court is housed in the former Middlesex Guildhall, on a site which has been directly linked with justice and the law for nearly a millenium. The site is highly symbolic, chosen to represent the United Kingdom’s separation of powers. From Saxon times this area was known as Thorney Island, offering sanctuary for fugitives in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. The present building was completed in 1913, and is the third courthouse or Guildhall to heav been built on the site since 1807.
I was lucky enough to be able to tour the floors and even had a peek inside the number 1 court of the land 
Awesome.
Court Number 1 of The Supreme Court
The ceiling is beautifully decorated with restored Middlesex Guildhall light fittings,
ceiling detail of Court #1
the bench arms are carved with fabulous animal shapes
beautifully carved armrests
and feature original carved bench ends.
bench ends - featuring King Henry VIII
Inset along the walls of the graceful curving staircase, which is just beautiful,
gracefully curved staircase
feature magnificent stained glass windows depicting The Middlesex coat of arms amongst others.
The Middlesex coat of arms in stained glass
This consists of three saxon seaxes (curved knives) below a saxon crown and the three ribbons bear the names of rivers marking the boundaries of the historic counties. On the 2nd floor is a beautiful stained glass window looking out onto Parliament Square.
beautiful stained glass window on the 2nd floor
The foyer is beautiful, white marble and glass, creating a lovely space of light. To the left of the entrance is the Middlesex Regimental War Memorial.
I would highly recommend a visit to this fabulous building, even it is just to enjoy the dignified atmosphere.
another stained glass window
beautifully restored stained glass window
This beautiful building is to be found over the road from Westminster Abbey if you are standing with Westminster Abbey behind you and Houses of Parliament on the right of you. Nearest tube station is Westminster on the Jubilee line. Enjoy! Hope you manage to fit it in even f you only have 3 days in London.
