$ FREE ADMISSION

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 10am – 4 pm, Weekends and Public Holidays 10am – 2pm.

24 Victoria St, Cambridge , NZ | CONTACT

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 10am – 4 pm, Weekends and Public Holidays 10am – 2pm.

$ FREE ADMISSION   24 Victoria St, Cambridge , NZ | CONTACT

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Cambridge Courthouse, early 1900s

Courthouse
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Image: Courthouse, Cambridge, New Zealand, 1909, Cambridge, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001028)

The Courthouse was built in 1909 by Fred Potts who completed the work for £1,044:3:4d. It has a Neo-Classic facade with ornate Ionic capitals on the columns at the entrance and the royal ‘ER’ emblem on the pediment. Inside are kauri ceilings, varnished rimu dados and tiled fireplaces.

At its official opening in 1909, Minister for Justice, the Hon Dr Findlay said the building –

“symbolised the national struggle our forefathers had to secure for themselves and their descendants liberty and justice. I would like the courthouse to be regarded as a place where the innocent will be vindicated against guilty, the wrong will be punished, and justice and fair play will prevail.”

Inside the Cambridge Courthouse in May 1968

This photograph was taken on 28 May 1960. It shows the Magistrate Mr E S Tuckwell. S M and stenographer Margaret Ennis, the Court Registrar Mr J A Petrin, together with police traffic officers and the press. From the “Cambridge Independent”, 30 May 1968

The Courthouse closed in August 1979 and the building and grounds were bought by the Cambridge Borough Council. The character is still preserved today, but the landscaping has softened the building to make a welcoming place for locals and visitors. It has been occupied by the Cambridge Museum since 1984.

Posted in Town Trail Walking Tour, Historic Buildings
Cambridge Museum