JULY 21 marks the 30th anniversary of the opening of Northwich Magistrates' Court by the Duchess of Kent.

State of the art in its time, it took nearly two and a half years to complete, at a cost of £108,500, and a further £7,180 to furnish the inside. The building was steel framed and built on jackable foundations. Inside the money was spent on sound insulation for the courtroom, anti-glare windows and air-conditioning.

They were the first courtrooms to have been built in Cheshire for over 25 years. Previously, all court cases had to be conducted in the old police station, closed in the May of the same year.

Much excitement surrounded the Duchess' visit to the town to open the new court building, in an area where she had family connections, her great grandfather being Sir John Brunner, co-founder of Brunner Mond.

It was, however, she said she was ashamed to admit, the first time she had visited Northwich.

The town was specially decorated for her visit and many hundreds of local people turned out to see her along the specially chosen route into the town, before she toured the town centre and the new magistrates' courts with councillor Ron Carey.

Afterwards, she attended a reception in the Memorial Hall. She took the time to meet and chat to local people, including the town's oldest resident Sarah Ann Parks, aged 104, and children who had put on displays in empty shops to mark her visit.

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