The Old Courthouse Tour: Behind the Cell Doors

Step inside one of London’s most unusual heritage buildings — a Victorian criminal court that is now a Buddhist centre.

Built in 1869 as Lambeth Police Court and later Lambeth Magistrates’ Court, this was retained from around 1970 as a high-security court for sensitive and high-risk cases, using its enclosed layout and original cell block, until it closed in 1990. On this guided tour you’ll see the former courtroom — where a Buddha now sits in the place once occupied by the magistrate — along with the witness box, the Victorian cells, which today serve as overnight accommodation, and more. Hear about the building’s life as a court, the cases and folklore attached to its high-security years, and how it came to be reborn in 1995 as Jamyang Buddhist Centre. Grade II listed as the earliest surviving criminal magistrates’ court in the Metropolitan area.

Jamyang Buddhist Centre, The Old Courthouse, 43 Renfrew Road, Kennington, SE11 4NA

Register for free below (limited spaces available)