[1] However, as the number of court cases in southeast Wales grew, it became necessary to commission a dedicated courthouse for criminal matters.

It was designed in the modern style, built in Portland stone at a cost of £10.9 million,[3] and was completed in 1991.

[4][5][6] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of seven bays facing onto Faulkner Road.

The central bay featured a long flight of steps leading up to a hexagonal porch.

The wings, of three bays each, featured a series of piers which supported a concrete roof with was cantilevered forward.