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A political history of Britain in the places where it happened: parliament and palace, courts and counting houses, and the streets where people pushed back.
The civil courts of England, given a Gothic palace on the Strand.
Law & justiceFree to enter
Before the 1870s England's senior courts were divided between separate historical jurisdictions scattered around Westminster; the Judicature Acts reorganised them into a single system, and this is where the reformed courts were housed. George Edmund Street's answer, opened in 1882, was a cathedral for the common law: a stone Great Hall, pointed arches, a thousand rooms and corridors nobody navigates confidently. The trick it performs is to make an institution that had just been rebuilt feel ancient and inevitable. It is still the working home of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, so the hall is full of barristers reading as they walk, the day's cases are posted on boards, and most hearings are open to anyone who sits at the back.
| Monday | 09:00 – 16:30 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:00 – 16:30 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 – 16:30 |
| Thursday | 09:00 – 16:30 |
| Friday | 09:00 – 16:30 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 6 September 2026.
Submit a correction for this listing.
Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.