Bristol Crown Court Listings

Is Your Hearing at the Crown Court or Another Bristol Court?

Bristol Crown Court sits in one building, The Law Courts on Small Street, close to Corn Street in the old city centre. Two other Bristol court buildings hear different work, and a letter that just says "Bristol" does not settle which one is yours.

The Guildhall causes most of the confusion. It stands on the same street and still looks like a court, because it was one. Historic England lists it at Grade II*, dates it to 1843 to 1846, and records that it housed courts.

Older photos and directories can still point there. Today every Crown Court hearing happens at The Law Courts, so check the postcode on Find a Court before setting off.

A case often begins at Marlborough Street and then moves to Small Street for trial or sentence. So the building can change between one hearing and the next.

What Bristol Crown Court Listings Usually Show

The site keeps a copy of each Bristol list it collects. It holds eight sitting days so far, from 6 to 15 October 2026. Those days carried between 30 and 53 hearings each, about 42 on average. Treat the patterns below as a guide, since a longer record may shift them.

Sentencing work stands out. Committals and sentences together made up about one Bristol hearing in six. A case that magistrates sent up for sentence arrives as "Committal for Sentence". A case sent up for trial, or where the plea is not guilty, arrives as "Plea and Trial Preparation" instead.

Day by Day, 6 to 15 October 2026

Every weekday in that period had a list, and no day sat in fewer than nine courtrooms. The table shows how much one Bristol list can differ from the next.

The busiest day, Wednesday 14 October, held 53 hearings, while the quietest held 30. Even so, the number of rooms barely moved. On a short list day, the trials still run; there are simply fewer brief hearings around them.

Only one hearing in the whole period was marked as remote. Unless the court or a solicitor says otherwise, plan to attend Small Street in person.

Start Times and Courtrooms

About six in ten hearings carried a 10am start, and 2pm came next. A handful sat at 11am or midday, and none started later than 3pm. Courts 1 to 10 sat on most days, with Courts 9 and 10 the busiest. On 15 October one extra room appeared on the list.

A 10am time often covers several cases in one room. In practice, a hearing listed for 10am can start late in the morning or after lunch.

Restricted Entries and Prosecutors

About one hearing in five carried a restriction marker. The site shows those entries with few details or leaves them out, so an empty slot does not mean a room is idle. The Crown Prosecution Service brought most cases; roughly one in six came from other prosecutors. Those entries sit in the same courtrooms and follow the same start times.

How Do You Find One Case in a Day of 40-Plus Hearings?

Start with the case number from the letter or charge sheet. Then type it into the search box above the list, which is quicker than scrolling through ten courtrooms.

First names never appear here, and a surname shows only when it reads clearly and no reporting restriction applies. A case number is therefore the surest match. Each entry sits under its courtroom, and the time is the earliest it can begin. The Crown Court daily list guide explains every column.

Trials without a fixed date sit on the warned list instead. They can be called in at short notice, so witnesses and defendants on it should keep their phones on.

Courtrooms can also change on the morning itself, for example when a trial overruns and shorter hearings move to a free room. Check the screens inside The Law Courts, and ask an usher if your case number is missing. Finding your courtroom covers the steps once you are through the door.

When the Next Day's List Appears and Why Cases Drop Off

The next sitting day's list normally appears in the afternoon. Judicial listing guidance aims for a draft by midday and a final version by 3.30pm on the working day before. Even so, late changes happen, so check again in the evening and before leaving home. The publication times guide has the detail.

A case can vanish for ordinary reasons. It may have moved to another day, ended with a plea, or gained a reporting restriction.

In Bristol there is one extra cause. The case may still be at the magistrates' court on Marlborough Street, which has its own list. Magistrates set the first Crown Court date when they send a case up, so check the date and the building on the letter from Marlborough Street.

If a hearing you expected tomorrow has gone, ring the court or the solicitor before assuming it is off. Court staff can confirm a date for someone with the case number, though they may ask how you are connected to the case. The guide to why a case is not listed runs through the other reasons.

Address, Parking and Getting Into The Law Courts

The Law Courts stand on Small Street, BS1 1DA. The building has no parking. Instead, Find a Court points drivers to paid car parks within 500 metres, at the Galleries or on Nelson Street.

Directions from your location: Google Maps · Apple Maps

Arriving by Train, Bus or Car

Bristol Temple Meads is the main railway station, and Small Street lies in the old city to its north-west. Bristol bus station sits on Marlborough Street, next to the magistrates' court. Small Street is a separate walk south-west from there into the old city, so do not stop at the first court building you see.

Drivers have one extra thing to plan for. Bristol runs a Clean Air Zone, where some older vehicles must pay to enter, so check the car before the day.

Security and the First Morning

Expect a walk-through arch and an X-ray belt for bags at the entrance. Tell the security officer about a pacemaker before stepping through. GOV.UK suggests arriving 30 minutes early, which leaves time for the queue. The security checks guide lists items that cause delays.

Waiting Areas and Support

Opening hours sit in the contact details above. The witness guide explains help from the Witness Service, and family members at court covers what relatives can expect. Building details below come from Find a Court.

What Does Each Visitor Need at Small Street?

Each person in the building has a different starting point. The table sets out the first thing to check and the right person to ask.

Defendants

A defendant on bail should arrive early and tell the usher outside the listed courtroom. Then find the solicitor or barrister, who often wants a word before the case is called. If something causes a delay, ring the solicitor straight away, because a court can issue a warrant for someone who fails to attend.

Defendants in custody come from prison or appear by video link. Find a Court notes that The Law Courts can take prison-to-court video links by arrangement. The defendant's guide covers the rest of the day.

Witnesses

Prosecution witnesses deal with a witness care officer, who can sometimes arrange transport or a video link if travel is hard; defence witnesses ask the defence lawyer, according to GOV.UK. On arrival at Small Street, tell staff if you need to wait apart from the other side, since Find a Court lists a separate witness waiting area.

A witness on a trial listed for 10am may not be called until the afternoon, or even the next day. Bring something to read and any letter from witness care.

Family and Friends

Many relatives first come to Small Street for a Plea and Trial Preparation hearing. In the October 2026 lists, those made up about one hearing in six. They are often short, yet the wait before one can fill the morning.

Relatives can usually sit in the gallery, though there is no contact with a defendant in the dock. Children need care arranged elsewhere, because court staff cannot look after them, and anyone under 18 needs the judge's agreement to stay in a courtroom.

Observers and Students

Trials made up the largest single group on the Bristol lists in October 2026, about one entry in five. So most days offer an open trial somewhere in the building. Reporting restrictions bind everyone in the gallery, and that includes posts on social media.

Can You Sit in the Public Gallery?

Yes, in most Bristol hearings. Any adult through security can sit in the public seats of an open courtroom. Ask an usher where there is space, since a well-reported trial can fill the seats early.

Phones must stay silent, and taking photos or recording is an offence.

Find a Court records lifts to every floor and level access into the courtrooms at The Law Courts. A hearing loop is available, though it needs arranging with the court in advance.

Some hearings close the gallery or restrict reporting, especially where children are involved. Before a first visit, read the public gallery guide.

Where Do Bristol Results and Sentences Come From?

The list shows hearings, never outcomes, and being listed says nothing about guilt. However, Bristol Crown Court has its own results email, shown in the contact details above. Find a Court lists it for administrative and clerking use, so relatives and victims usually hear outcomes from the solicitor, witness care or the police.

Members of the public usually learn outcomes from local news reports. Avon and Somerset Police also publishes selected outcomes in the In Court section of its news pages. It covers only some cases, so a missing story says nothing either way.

Asking for a Sentence Review

Anyone can ask the Attorney General's Office to review certain Crown Court sentences as unduly lenient. Only some offences qualify. The deadline is 11.59pm on the 28th day after sentencing. Use the GOV.UK sentence review service.

The 28 days run from the day of sentence. That holds even when news of the case appears days later.

Victims and Sentencing Remarks

Victims of a serious violent or sexual offence can join the Victim Contact Scheme when the sentence is 12 months or more in custody. GOV.UK explains that a Victim Liaison Officer then shares key points, such as release, and the victim chooses how much to hear.

In selected cases, a judge's sentencing remarks appear on judiciary.uk, where the judgments page has a Sentencing Remarks filter. Most Bristol sentences are not published there, so local news remains the usual record. The victims guide explains other support.

Jury Service at The Law Courts

Jurors summoned to Bristol report to The Law Courts on Small Street. The court has its own jury office email, listed with the contacts above, for questions about dates and expenses. Service usually lasts up to 10 working days, according to GOV.UK jury service guidance.

Parking is the question jurors raise most. Since the building has none, drivers pay at one of the car parks named above.

Ask the jury office what Bristol will refund before booking a long stay. GOV.UK says questions about travel or parking costs go to the court where you serve, and the same applies to a motorcycle bay.

Claims go in at the end of service on the form given on the first day, with receipts. GOV.UK says payment usually follows 7 to 10 working days later. A juror facing hardship during a long trial can ask jury staff about earlier payment.

A typical jury day runs from about 10am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Jurors never appear on the public list, so this page cannot show which trial a panel will join.

Other Courts Near Bristol Crown Court

Bristol's two other court buildings, and the nearest Crown Courts outside the city, appear below. A case can move between Marlborough Street and Small Street, so keep both lists in view while it progresses.

If a Bristol entry on this page concerns you personally and you want it taken down, use the removal request form.

• Bristol Magistrates' Court: on Marlborough Street; most criminal cases start here
• Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre: civil and family cases
• Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre, BS1 6GR (0.4 km away)
• Bristol Magistrates' Court and Tribunals Hearing Centre, BS1 3NU (0.5 km away)