Chief Justice’s Office

We are now in The Chief Justice’s Office. In the room you see a large wooden desk with a most unusual design. It resembles a table with a long bench projecting from it, almost encircling the Chief Justice’s seat. The desk was designed by William Swaffield who was also responsible for the furniture in the Rotunda we will see later. The furniture here has been carefully restored to help give you an impression of the room as it was used by the Chief Justice. There used to be picture frames, also designed by Swaffield, hanging over the bookcases in the Chief Justice’s office. If you take a closer look at the bookcases, you will see emblems on the glass panels. These are the arms of the Inns of Court. You will have an option to learn more about the Emblems and the Inns of Court at the end of this Stop. But for the moment, continue listening. Previously, the Chief Justice could access his office from the corridor outside the Chambers or via his private lift that leads from his carpark to this office. The private lift is located through the small door at the bottom of the slope from the Lower Link, on your left. Once, there were seven other passenger lifts and one book lift in the building. Five of the passenger lifts had dual control, allowing them to be operated by a lift attendant or controlled automatically by the buttons at the lift landings. But by 2002, only the Chief Justice’s private lift was still used.