On 1st December 1839 Samuel Whitbread the prominent local magistrate signed a motion together with 6 other magistrates to set up Bedfordshire Police Force. It became operational on 18th February 1840. There were six Divisions for the county one of these being based at Biggleswade. In the absence of a Magistrates Court, the Town Hall was utilised for the administration of justice locally. This continued until 13th October 1927 when the County Police authority opened the purpose built Magistrates Court on a plot of land in Saffron Road. The chief county architectural assistant Sydney C. Jury designed the building and Pettingell & Clark of Hitchin were the builders
A courtroom seating 50 people, rooms for the Judge, Magistrates, Registrar
and court officials were provided. The whole of the courtroom furniture was
made from Austrian oak. Mr Jury when interviewed said that the court was the
best of its kind in the county and everything had been done to comply with the
most modern ideas in design.
This is how it looked in November 2005
In 1947 the Petty Sessional Districts were reorganised into Bedford, Luton, Ampthill, Biggleswade, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. With increased business, the Courthouse was extended in 1961.
