The Old High Court - 140 years old

The Old High Court, as it is known today, was officially opened on 11 April 1881. This was the second building built on the newly reclaimed land in Wellington.

Inspired by court buildings in England, Pierre Finch Martineau Burrows, the Chief Draughtsman in the Public Works Department, designed the building with a grand edifice made from brick and mortar.

The foundation stone was laid in 1879 in a ceremony attended by over 2000 people. The plasterwork above the entrance records this date as other buildings of this time also did.

The estimated cost for this build was £16,000; however the final cost ended up being £24,785, which would be around $4 million today. The building was gas lit with no indoor toilets when it opened, with staff and judges having to use long drop toilets erected behind the new court building. This was not unusual for the time with indoor plumbing still to be developed.

On 11 April 1881 the building opened for business with a criminal session. At the opening Chief Justice Prendergast described the building as “handsome” and commented that he was glad to find that the court list was unusually light with not a single case of violence.

Photo of portrait by Cameron Drawbridge

This building was first known as the Wellington Supreme Court. This changed to the Wellington High Court in the 1980’s when it became the High Court. In 1993 the Wellington High Court moved to Molesworth street and the old building closed, becoming known as the Old High Court.

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Information sheet: The Old High Court - 140 years old (PDF, 309 KB)