Commercial Court 125 anniversary exhibition
The exhibition on the 3rd floor of the Rolls Building celebrates the work of the Commercial Court. The Court emerged in response to demands by the business community – led by the City of London – for a purpose driven court with specialist judges to avoid the delays and unreliable judgments which were felt to afflict the courts of the time. The first Commercial Court list was on 1 March 1895 under the ‘Notice as to Commercial Causes’. The Court started with a single judge: J.C. Mathew. It is currently staffed by 12 judges of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court and the Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court. The exhibition features:
- The official portrait photograph of the first judge of the Commercial Court, J.C. Mathew (later Mathew LJ) and a facsimile of the original “Notice as to Commercial Cases” which brought the Court into being.
- Portraits and short biographies of a number of the Commercial Court’s most distinguished judges, including Lord Wright MR, Viscount Sankey LC and Lord Bingham MR.
- A display explaining the backdrop to the creation of the Court, and its forerunner – a court held in the heart of the City to dispense justice in a businesslike fashion.
- A display featuring artefacts from one of the most famous judges of the Commercial Court, Scrutton LJ – author of the key commercial legal text “Scrutton on Charterparties” and also the judge who tried the famous “Brides in the Bath” murder case.
- A display outlining the different phases of the history of the Court, by reference to key cases and incidents in particular periods.
The Law Society’s Art Group 2021 Exhibition at the Rolls Building
The RBAET was pleased to support the Law Society’s Art Group’s first exhibition at the Rolls Building, which ran from 5 July 2021 until 21 December 2021. The 25 works were displayed on the 2nd floor of the Rolls Building and two – by Errol Neil and Clive Sayer respectively – were chosen by The Right Honourable Sir Julian Flaux, Chancellor of the High Court and RBAET Trustee, as the recipients of the £50 prizes funded for LSAG by Radcliffe Chambers. Most of the works were available for sale and, whilst pandemic restrictions limited footfall, the RBAET nevertheless received £171 as commission on sales.
Wendy Brooke-Smith
Wendy Brooke-Smith is a figurative artist inspired by transience and human intervention in the landscape, with a particular interest in the changing London skyline and the Thames. She first displayed her work at the Rolls Building in 2013. Her subject matter ranged from container ports to building sites to quiet corners of the River Thames, and resonated with the work of the High Court jurisdictions based at the Rolls Building. The RBAET received a commission on sales that assisted the Trust in funding the development of its pilot educational programme. Wendy kindly left one of her paintings on open-ended loan to the Trust. The painting, a black and white aerial view of a construction site during the redevelopment of Ipswich Waterfront, can be seen on the 3rd floor.
Wendy again exhibited her work at the Rolls Building in 2017 with a collection of paintings and charcoal drawings presenting viewpoints of the Thames towards Canary Wharf. Again, the Trust received a commission on sales and has itself acquired a number of the paintings. These are on permanent display on the 3rd floor. Wendy continues to develop her career with corporate commissions and successful solo exhibitions in London.