This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. DESCRIPTION: Courts were established in New Zealand in 1841 following a Royal Charter (1840) which gave Legislative Council the power to make laws for peace, order and good government in New Zealand. By the 1860s a three-tier system of courts had emerged; Resident Magistrates' Courts, District Courts and the Supreme Court. District Courts were abolished in 1925 leaving a two-tier system of Magistrates' Courts (now known as District Courts) and Supreme Courts (now known as High Courts). The land on which the Magistrates' Court stands, Section 319 and part of Sections 317 and 318, was transferred to the Crown in 1863. The 1880-81 portion of the building replaced an earlier wooden one built elsewhere on the site. The Magistrates' Court had "ordinary and extended jurisdiction within the city of Christchurch and district". The building was extended in 1908-09 and continues to be used as a courthouse by the Justice Department.

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECT/ENGINEER/DESIGNER: 1880-81 portion: Benjamin Woolfield MOUNTFORT (1825-98) 1908-09 portion: A.F. MACRAE ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION26 Mar 2009 The Magistrates' Court comprises two portions, one built 1880-81 and the other 1908-09. The earlier portion is unpretentious and single- storeyed with a central two-storeyed gabled block and has been described as "a sturdy, simple building, almost domestic in scale and appearance". Roofs are pitched with heavy corbels beneath the eaves and pointed ventilators on the ridge. Double-hung sash windows are ornamental headed in Mountfort's Early English style and grouped in threes or fours with a quoined surround. There are two north-facing gabled entrances. The 1908-09 building adjoins the south end of the earlier one and incorporates similar details such as corbelled eaves and ornamental headed windows. The east end is two-storeyed and windows at ground floor level are topped with round arches. Again roofs are pitched and within the gable ends are small narrow windows. Stone chimneys surmount the roof and a large gabled entrance on the east facade has the inscription "1908" above. The interior has been modernised with carpeting, wallpapers and painted timbers. The many fireplaces throughout have been boarded over and painted. The building incorporates prisoners' and police rooms, a number of waiting rooms and administrative offices. The largest rooms, however, are the three courtrooms currently known as Courts 1, 2 and 3. Court 2 is in the 1880-81 portion and has a gallery at the west end with stairs enclosed by brick walls and a dark stained timber trussed roof. The judge's bench is on a raised dais at the east end. Court 3 is also in this portion of the building. It is considerably smaller and has a vertically boarded dado and a flat ceiling with a skylight addition. Court 1, the largest of the three courtrooms, is situated in the 1908-09 building. The judge's bench at the east end has diagonal boarding at the front and a canopy sits over the whole bench. Arched windows above the double-hung sashes open into the building. MODIFICATIONS: Dates not known - Brick chimneys of 1880-81 portion removed - Roof of 1880-81 portion reclad with corrugated iron - Round arches in 1908-09 portion glazed - Addition of interior partitions 1965 Some stonework replaced with concrete capping