[4][5] The site they selected on Corporation Street had been occupied by the old Birmingham Workhouse, which had been built in 1734[6] and cleared away as part of a larger scheme by the mayor, Joseph Chamberlain, to demolish old slums.

[8][9] Designed by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell of London after an open competition, assessed by architect Alfred Waterhouse, to provide the first assize courts in Birmingham, it is faced entirely in deep red terracotta from the clay of Ruabon in North Wales[10] and covered in intricate terracotta ornamentation.

The central section featured a large round headed main entrance with multiple hood moulds flanked by turrets and, beyond that, by octagonal towers with conical roofs.

[10] Built by Birmingham firm John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 21 July 1891.

[11] A proposal was made, prior to the 2010 UK General Election, to move the magistrates' court to a new purpose-built building nearby.