Editing Manchester Assize Courts (section)

==History==
The Assize Courts was the first civic building to be constructed in Manchester after the town hall on King Street by Francis Goodwin in 1819. ''The Builder'' described it as the most important building outside [[Whitehall]].<ref name="ParkinsonBailey2000">Parkinson-Bailey (2000), p 100.</ref> Its design was the result of a competition in 1858 that attracted more than 100 entries. The competition was won by [[Alfred Waterhouse]] whose design beat schemes from other renowned architects such as [[Thomas Worthington (architect)|Thomas Worthington]] and [[Edward Walters]].<ref name="ParkinsonBailey2000"/>

Waterhouse designed the building in the [[Venetian Gothic architecture|Venetian Gothic]] style; construction began in 1859 and was completed in 1864. The nearby 1862 [[Manchester (HM Prison)|Strangeways Prison]] was included in his design as part of the scheme; it is a Grade II listed structure.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Main prison block of HMP Manchester|num=1254636|grade=II}}</ref>

The building contained exterior sculptures by [[Thomas Woolner]] and the firm of [[O'Shea and Whelan]]. They depicted lawgivers from history, along with a "drunk woman", a "good woman", a scene of the [[Judgment of Solomon]] and carvings depicting different punishments throughout history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/buildings/manchester-assize-courts-great-ducie-street-strangeways|title=Manchester Assize Courts Great Ducie Street Strangeways|publisher= The Manchester Group of the Victorian Society|access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>

As part of the court system changes, the [[assize court]] system in Manchester was abolished in 1956 and changed to the [[Crown Court]] system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Criminal trials in the assize courts 1559-1971 |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/assizes-criminal-1559-1971.htm |work=National Archives |accessdate=2012-11-14}}</ref> The courts building was severely damaged in the [[Manchester Blitz]] in 1940 and 1941. It was said that everything was destroyed except the Great Ducie Street facade and the judges' lodgings.<ref>Parkinson-Bailey (2000), p. 102</ref> Some war-damaged buildings in the city were repaired, but Manchester Assize Courts was demolished in 1957, soon after the assize court abolition. Some of the sculptures were preserved and incorporated into the [[Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square)|new Crown Court building on Crown Square]].<ref name=Hartwell>Hartwell (2002) p.248.</ref>