Victoria Law Courts
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- For the court building in Birmingham, England, see Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
In Guyana, the Law Courts or Victoria Law Courts as it used to be known, was formally opened on 24 May 1887. Before that time the Law Court was housed in the Public Buildings. Before that the Court was housed in a wooden building located somewhere around the site of the present Public Buildings, and was described in 1806 as "an old tottering building supported with poles; from the church (St. Andrew's) may be seen the decayed and rotten condition of the flooring of the Court House (room)."
By 1887 the Public Buildings which by then contained the Governor's Office as well as all departments of Government was becoming increasingly overcrowded. Plans were drawn up for a separate building to house the Courts.
Dutch engineer, Baron Hora Siccama drew up plans and a Mr Hutchens executed them. The building, located on the Avenue of the Republic between South Road and Charlotte Street, took nearly ten years to complete. The builders encountered great difficulty with the foundation. The style of architecture was thought to be closer to the style of timber-framed buildings of the time of Queen Elizabeth I.
It was eventually opened on 24 May 1887 on the birthday of Queen Victoria during her Jubilee Year. Subsequently a statue of Queen Victoria was erected at the front of the building. After Guyana became an independent nation this statue was removed and placed on its side in the Botanical Gardens. It was subsequently raised.
