Guyana’s High Court confirmed a ‘heritage site’ by National Trust
The Supreme Court of Judicature has on Monday received a heritage plaque from the National Trust of Guyana. The receipt of this heritage plaque signifies an acknowledgment of the High Court as a heritage site.
The High Court of Guyana, also known as the Victoria Law Courts, has a very rich history that dates back to the year 1878. In 1878, a petition was made by the British Guiana Court of Policy to have a building constructed to conduct court proceedings. The petition was accepted in June of the same year.
The court was officially opened in the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, on May 24, 1887, by Governor Sir Henry Irving.
The High Court is located at Avenue of the Republic and Charlotte Street in Lacytown, Georgetown. The building is bordered by Avenue of the Republic on the west, King Street on the east, Charlotte Street on the north, and South Road on the south.
A High Court staff receiving the plaque from a representative of the National Trust of Guyana in the presence of Chief Justice Roxane George and the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and other staff
This historic building was designed by Baron Hora Siccama, the Colonial Engineer at the time, and Mr. Cesar Castellani, then Assistant Architect attached to the Public Works Department.
The original design was “L-shaped,” with the lower flat being concrete and steel and the upper flat being a wooden structure.
The High Court building has been extended with the addition of the Family Court Wing and the Chancellor’s Wing (Land Court).
The building has maintained its historical architecture, although there have been numerous additions and rehabilitation projects over the years.
