History of Supreme Court

History of the Supreme Court in the Present Day

1 October 2009 marked a defining moment in the constitutional history of the United Kingdom with the separation of judicial power from its historic home in the nation's legislature, the Houses of Parliament, and its transfer to the Supreme Court's own building.

Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 had provided for the Court's legal existence. This then came into legal effect when the newly restored building was ready for its new purpose. 

By moving to the historic setting of the former Middlesex Guildhall, the Supreme Court took its place in the cluster of official state buildings that surround the edges of Parliament Square; the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Treasury.

Since its opening in 2009, the Supreme Court has continued to fulfil its role as the final appeal court adjudicating in cases of the greatest public importance. One of the major benefits of moving the Court into its own building is that public access, both physically and virtually through the live streaming of cases on our website, is considerably improved.

Appellate Committee of The House of Lords

The judicial role of the House of Lords evolved over more than 600 years: originally from the work of the royal court, the “Curia Regis”, which advised the sovereign, passed laws and dispensed justice at the highest level. 

Until 1399, both Houses of Parliament heard petitions for the judgments of lower courts to be reversed. After this date, the House of Commons stopped considering such cases, leaving the House of Lords as the highest court of appeal. (By custom, the whole House of Lords could sit as a court on special occasions, such as the trial of one of their own members).

In 1876, the Appellate Jurisdiction Act was passed to regulate how appeals were heard.  It also appointed Lords of Appeal in Ordinary: highly qualified professional judges working full time on the judicial business of the House. These Law Lords were able to vote on legislation as full Members of the House of Lords, but in practice rarely did so.

Before the second world war, the Law Lords used to hear appeals each day in the chamber of the House of Lords.

After the House of Commons was bombed, the Law Lords moved their hearings to a nearby committee room to escape the noise of the building repairs, constituting themselves as an Appellate Committee for the purpose. In fact, this temporary arrangement proved so successful that it became permanent, and continued for the remainder of the Appellate Committee’s life. 

On the commencement of the Supreme Court in October 2009, all current Law Lords became its first Justices.

The first Justices remain Members of the House of Lords, but are unable to sit and vote in the House.  All new Justices appointed after October 2009 have been directly appointed to The Supreme Court on the recommendation of a selection commission.

Middlesex Guildhall

The home of the Supreme Court is the former Middlesex Guildhall, an impressive building in an historic location directly linked with justice and the law for nearly a millennium.

Long before the earliest courthouse was built here, the site was occupied by Westminster Abbey’s Sanctuary Tower and Old Belfry, where fugitives could seek refuge from their pursuers on an island at the junction of the Tyburn and the Thames.

In 1889 the old courthouse was replaced by the first Middlesex Guildhall, which housed the Middlesex County Council and Quarter Sessions. However, even this soon became too small, and the present building opened its doors just before the first world war in 1913.

Designed by architect James Gibson, and built in Portland stone, it features a great deal of internal and external decorative work by Henry Fehr and was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as art nouveau Gothic.

In 1964 Middlesex ceased to exist as an administrative and judicial area, and the Guildhall was converted in the 1980s to a Crown Court centre with seven busy criminal courtrooms. Original features were obscured by machinery, cells and partitions. The amount of natural light entering the building was vastly reduced, making it feel cluttered and gloomy.

Today, renovation work for The Supreme Court has restored many of these hidden details, including fine panelling, carving and stained glass with connections to the old county of Middlesex.

Both light wells bring daylight back into the heart of the building again, in accordance with Gibson’s designs.  Newly recreated spaces house airy new courtrooms, a magnificent triple-height law library, and welcoming public areas including a café and an exhibition area.

Restored to full splendour, the building now brings both dignity and accessibility to its role, housing the highest court in the United Kingdom.

Centenary of Middlesex Guildhall

100th Anniversary of the Middlesex Guildhall - 19 December 2013

On 19 December 2013, the former Middlesex Guildhall celebrated the 100th anniversary of its official opening ceremony as the home of Middlesex County Council.

To mark this very special day, a member of one of London's historic guilds, Dunn's Bakery of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, prepared a cake featuring the iconic building and presented it to Lord Neuberger and Lady Hale, the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court. They were joined for the occasion by Cllr Nana Asante, The Worshipful The Mayor of the London Borough of Harrow, representing the London Borough which most closely reflects the former county of Middlesex.

After the cake-cutting ceremony outside the Guildhall, the cake was offered to visitors to The Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court also celebrated the Guildhall's centenary by flying the Middlesex flag on the anniversary and temporarily reopening a special exhibition on the history of the Middlesex Guildhall.

Back to top