[1] However, as the number of court cases in Newcastle upon Tyne grew, it became necessary to commission a more modern courthouse for criminal matters: the site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department had been occupied by some dilapidated shops and warehouses and formed part of a larger development by Tyne and Wear Development Corporation to re-develop the East Quayside area.

[5] It was designed by local architects, Napper Collerton, in the modern style, built by John Laing Construction in red sandstone from Dumfriesshire at a cost of £17.1 million,[6] and was completed in 1990.

The central bay, which was projected forward, was formed by a full-height glass atrium with a curved roof.

The rear elevation featured a series of oculi intended to recall nautical portholes.

[10] Notable cases heard at the crown court include the trial and conviction of the nurse, Colin Norris, in March 2008, for the murder of four elderly patients and the attempted murder of another in two hospitals in Leeds,[11][12] the trial and conviction of Yusuf Jama, in December 2006, and of Mustaf Jama, in July 2009, for the murder of Sharon Beshenivsky,[13][14] and the trial and conviction of Carl Beech, in July 2019, following a police investigation into false allegations of historic child abuse, on charges of perverting the course of justice, fraud and child sex abuse.