The Auckland High Court is a Gothic Revival courthouse in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is one of three locations nationwide used by the High Court of New Zealand. It is registered as a Category I heritage building by Heritage New Zealand.
Contents
Description
The Auckland High Court is a brick Gothic Revival building. It features a crenellated central tower, and pointed-arch arcading. The interior is made of timber and is also Gothic.
History
Construction on the courthouse began in 1865, and was halted due to the original builder going bankrupt. Work on the structure was taken up again by Mathews and Bartley, and the building was completed in 1867. The red brick building was designed by Australian architect Edward Rumsey, who was a student of George Gilbert Scott. Rumsey's Gothic Revival design included features such as crenellated towers and gargoyles, which were carved by Prussian ship carpenter Anton Teutenberg, in designs representing judges and major dignitaries of the 1860s. From 1935 to 1936 the building was extended. The courthouse was originally called the Auckland Supreme Court, but the name was changed in 1980 to make way for the naming of an eventual new Supreme Court of New Zealand. In 1988 part of the original building was demolished to expand the courthouse.
Two pōhutukawa trees behind the court mark the location of the General Assembly House, which was used by the New Zealand Parliament when Auckland was the capital of the country.