[1] The original venue for the assize courts in Durham was the old Shire Hall, also known as the County House, beside Palace Green; this "inconvenient building" had been established by Bishop John Cosin in the 1660s.

[3] The building was designed by George Moneypenny and Ignatius Bonomi in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was officially opened on 14 August 1811.

The central section of three bays, which was projected forward, featured a tetrastyle portico formed by Tuscan order columns supporting a pediment.

[7] Following the completion of the new building, the old Shire Hall at Palace Green was demolished and the Diocesan Registry (now the Durham University Music Library) was built on the site in 1820.

[12] Notable cases included the trial and conviction of Mary Ann Cotton, in March 1873, for murdering her two sons, her stepson and her husband.