THE LONDON COURT HOUSE.
From "Illustrated London," copyrighted. By permission London Printing and Lithographing Co. (Limited.)
The first court house in London was constructed of flat logs, and on the ground floor was a log partition to separate the jail from the jailer's room. The court room above was reached by stairs outside. This was followed by the erection of a two story frame building upon the same square where the present court house stands, but closer to the street. In one end of the first floor were placed two cells, which were rendered more secure by being surrounded with logs, from which the building acquired the distinctive title of "The Old Log Court House." Courts were first held there in 1828.
In 1838 a new jail was proposed, and in the years 1843 and 1844 the present jail and court house in London was completed at a cost of £8,500. The latter resembles the castle of Malahide near Dublin, the birth place of Col. Talbot.
The Elgin Court House, 1853-1898.
The County of Elgin was established by an Act of the Legislature passed in August, 1851, and formed a union with Middlesex until County Buildings were erected. The provisional County Council held its first meeting in the Town Hall, St. Thomas, on April 15th, 1852. The first business was to erect a jail and Court House. Offers of building sites were received from Messrs. Curtis and Lawrence and Benjamin Drake. The Curtis sites were north of Talbot Street and West of East Street. The Lawrence site, two acres, included the lot on which the Post Office now stands. The Drake site appears to have been considered suitable before the county was formed as a deed from Benjamin Drake to Queen Victoria, dated the 25th of October, 1848, and registered the 30th of October, 1851, conveys the Jail and Court House Block to Her Majesty for public buildings for county and district purposes only. A resolution of the County Council shows that the final acceptance of this site depended on obtaining water at fifteen feet, failing this a new site was to be chosen. The location for the building on lot selected was next considered.
Petitions to front the buildings on Stanley Street were presented, but they were ordered to face north so as to stand parallel with the Talbot Road in front of Queen Street.
Plans were received from architects Thomas and Tully, of Toronto, and John Turner of Brantford.
The plans submitted by Mr. Turner were the same as for the Court House at Brantford, which he was building. These were adopted with some changes suggested by other plans before the council.