When Barking's Public Offices became a Magistrate's Court by Sue Hamiliton (retired magistrate)
In 1893 Barking's Public Offices were built on land in East Street that was previously a market garden. When borough status was conferred on Barking in 1931 it was decided that a new Town Hall was needed, and plans were approved in 1936. Due to austerity, the building of the Town Hall was halted until after the war and it was not completed until 1957.
Meanwhile Barking Council fought to have a much needed Magistrates court in the old Public Offices and eventually received Home Office approval. Alterations were made to the building to make it suitable for use as a criminal court. Courts Number One and Two were on the first floor. Court One had secure access direct to the cells downstairs and both courts included areas for court officers, press and public. On the second floor were the two more informal Courts Three and Four where Youth (Juvenile) and Family (Domestic) cases were heard.
Cases proceeded in Barking in August 1960. There were about 50 magistrates, mainly residing or working in the area. Mr. Jack R.Train was the Chairman of the newly formed bench and Mr. F.W. Wright Clerk to the Justices. One of the magistrates was Miss Eva W Hart M.B.E. who at the age of seven had survived the sinking of the Titanic. She continued sitting as a magistrate in Barking until 1975.
Many cases were heard at Barking Court during those fifty years! Three of the most notable cases that were reported nationally and caused the largest crowds outside the court were:
In 1984 – the case of Marie Payne, whose her body was not found for over a year. Colin Evans, was eventually arrested for her murder and at several remand hearings at Barking the police were required to protect Evans from angry crowds. Evans was sentenced, at the Old Bailey, to life imprisonment.
In 1993 – another gruesome murder case was heard in Barking, that of Matthew and Alison Manwaring (father and daughter) murdered in 1992, by 25 years old, Benjamin Laing, who forced his entry into their Barking home. Again the public surrounded Barking court and jeered when Laing appeared on remand. He too was sentenced to life imprisonment, at the Old Bailey .
On 1st December 1989 nearly every national newspaper reported the news that boxing promoter Frank Warren had been shot by a lone gunman, as he got out of his car to attend a boxing match at The Broadway Theatre in Barking! He suffered serious chest and stomach wounds. Frank Warren was the ex-manager of Terry Marsh, the undefeated former world lightweight champion, nicknamed, “The Fighting Fireman” and there was an ongoing libel case between the two men.
In 1990 - Terry Marsh was arrested at Gatwick Airport, after returning from America where he had watched Nigel Benn’s victory. His first appearance, and each one that followed, at Barking, saw the courthouse surrounded by Terry Marsh’s supporters who cheered for him and on one occasion among his friends in court, along with family and his agent Ambrose Mendy, was Nigel Benn. Marsh was remanded in custody until the trial at the Old Bailey.
On 7th November 1990, after a nine-day trial and four hours of jury deliberations, Terry Marsh was found not guilty of attempted murder. The verdict drew a loud cheer in the court.
In 1986, while the clock tower was being repaired came the hurricane force winds, which cause devastation throughout the country. The scaffolding on the roof was declared a safety risk and the court was evacuated for the day!
Despite strong opposition, from magistrates and court users, Barking Magistrates Court was closed, along with 142 other courts in England, in September 2011. The approximately 85 magistrates at Barking were eligible to sit at any of the London courts. The majority remained in the North East London Justice Area, sitting by contrast at the more modern Magistrates Court buildings at Barkingside or Romford.
The original of this print, by a local artist,
Hung in the retiring room of Court No. 1.
When the court closed each magistrate was given a
copy as a memento of their time there.
The magistrate's court did experience one more flurry of hearings, this time of the fictitious kind when the following year, while the court building remained empty, with court furniture and fittings still in place, Sky Living filmed the pilot for a drama “Lawless”, starring Suranne Jones as a new young judge, and Lindsay Duncan as a senior judge. This drama showed the interior of the courthouse in its former glory.
Today the Victorian Public Offices and former Magistrates Court has been converted into local residences, on East Street. You can read more about the Barking Magistrate's Court in the Post article, here.