Winchester Court: What to Expect at a Family Hearing

Part of: Family Court Guides: Find Your Court Before the Hearing

Winchester Court, officially Winchester Combined Court Centre, sits at The Law Courts, Winchester, SO23 9EL. It opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, and there is no parking at the court itself. Three courts share the building: the Family Court, the County Court and the Crown Court. Its family work, as the GOV.UK court finder lists it, is divorce and domestic violence. So this guide starts with the contact details and the cases heard here, then moves through parking, the building and the hearing day itself. New to family court? Start with your first family court hearing for the wider process.

Everything here describes the process in England and Wales. A court can change its hours or contact lines, so read your hearing letter and the court finder listing again the day before you set off.

Reviewed by: Iblal Iqbal, Partner & Family Law Strategist, Kabir Family Law

What is the Winchester Court address and phone number?

The court’s counter works by appointment only, so phone or email first rather than travelling in with a question. These details come from the court’s own listing.

The listing also carries a warning. Scammers imitate real HMCTS phone numbers and email addresses, then demand payment while claiming to be from HMRC or enforcement. If a message like that worries you, pay nothing and report it to Action Fraud.

Which family cases does Winchester Court hear?

The court finder lists two kinds of family work here: divorce and domestic violence. The rest of its listing is civil and criminal work, namely bankruptcy, housing possession, money claims, crime, the single justice procedure and High Court District Registry business.

So a family hearing in this building is usually about a divorce, or about protection from abuse. If yours is a divorce, our divorce specialists can explain where your case has reached.

What if your case is about children or money?

Children cases and financial remedy cases do not appear on this court’s listing. A court finder search from the SO23 9EL postcode names Southampton Combined Court Centre first for both. For children cases, it also lists Basingstoke Law Courts and Portsmouth Combined Court Centre.

Still, the court named on your letter is the one you attend. If that is Southampton, our guide to Southampton Family Court covers that building instead.

Protection from abuse: what the court can order

Under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996, you can apply for a non-molestation order, an occupation order about who lives in the family home, or both. There is no court fee to apply.

If you need protection immediately, you can ask for an emergency order “without notice”, which means the other person is not told first. The court then holds a hearing you must attend, and it may make the order there. After that, the other person gets a chance to respond at a full hearing (Family Law Act 1996, s.45).

Once someone knows about a non-molestation order, breaking it without a reasonable excuse is an offence under section 42A of the Family Law Act 1996.

Is there parking at Winchester Court?

There is no parking at the court itself. According to gov.uk, the nearest car park is Tower Street / Sussex Street, less than a five-minute walk from the court. For current rates and availability, check winchester.gov.uk before you travel.

Coming in on the M3? Park and ride takes the parking worry away. The court’s listing names one site off Junction 11 and two more off Junction 10, and services run from them into the city centre.

Blue Badge holders: there is no parking at the court, so find an accessible space nearby before you travel, as availability and locations can change.

Whichever you choose, leave time for the walk and for security. Also, leave the e-bike or e-scooter at home, because court buildings don’t allow them inside and have no storage for them.

How do you get to Winchester Court by train or bus?

Allow extra time on your first visit to find your way, and check National Rail Enquiries for live journey times on the day. Bus routes and timetables change too, so look up the current service on Traveline or the operator’s website.

What is inside Winchester Combined Court Centre?

The family suite is worth knowing about if your hearing is a family matter. It holds four of the building’s seven interview rooms, separate from the three on the upper floor, and gives you and anyone supporting you somewhere private to talk before you’re called in.

• Getting in: level access to the building entrance and the court room.
• Hearing support: a hearing loop is available.
• Hidden disabilities: Sunflower lanyards on request, and guide dogs are welcome.
• Babies: baby changing facilities.
• Staying connected: wireless internet inside the building.
• Video: video conference and Electronic Presentation of Evidence (EPE) facilities, as well as Prison Video Link booths.

Need an adjustment, such as breaks during the hearing or hearing enhancement equipment? Then call 01962 814 100 before your hearing date, so staff have time to arrange it.

What does your hearing day at Winchester Court look like?

Here is the day in order, from the car park to the moment you leave. Each step follows HMCTS’s own guide to coming to court and this building’s listing.

1. Walk over from the car park or park and ride. Aim to reach the entrance 30 minutes before the time on your letter. Come any earlier and staff may turn you away when it’s busy.
2. Go through security. Bags and pockets are checked much as at an airport, which may mean an archway detector or a handheld scanner. Security may keep some items and hand them back as you leave.
3. Find the Family Court, not the Crown Court. With three courts under one roof, the case number on your letter tells you where to go. If you’re unsure, ask a member of staff.
4. Wait, possibly for a while. The time on your letter is when the day’s cases start, and yours might not be first. If you asked in advance, staff can seat you in a different part of the building from the other party.
5. Go into the hearing room. A member of staff calls you in and shows you where to sit. When you hear “all rise if able”, stand if you can, because the judge is about to enter. The hearing is private, so the public has no right to be there (Family Procedure Rules 2010, r.27.10). If you give evidence, you first swear an oath or make an affirmation.
6. Leave knowing what comes next. The judge may decide on the day or send the decision by post later. Afterwards, leave the building straight away, and be clear about any date or deadline you now have.

On the day of a protection hearing

These hearings are held in private, sometimes called “in chambers”. In most cases, only the two people in the case and their legal advisers can go in, as GOV.UK’s injunction guidance explains.

You can also apply not to speak to, or be questioned by, the other party at the hearing. If you asked for an interpreter when you applied, the court provides one. A video or phone hearing may be possible where you need extra protection, but you ask for it when you apply and give your reason.

What can you bring into the Law Courts, and what should you wear?

• Bring: your hearing letter with its case number, the papers for your hearing, and food and drink, including water, since not every court building has refreshments. A notebook also helps you keep track of dates and actions.
• Leave behind: weapons, glass and any liquid other than non-alcoholic drinks or hand sanitiser.
• Wear: there is no formal dress code, but dress for a formal public building, because staff can refuse entry. Apart from a face covering, nothing goes on your head unless it is for religious reasons.
• Phones: silence every call and notification once you’re in the hearing room.
• Notes, not recordings: you can take notes, but not photos or videos. Recording sound without the court’s permission is a contempt of court (Contempt of Court Act 1981, s.9).
• Company: bring one supporter at most, such as a friend or family member, because a second person may not be let in.

Are you on track for your Winchester Court hearing?

Frequently asked questions

Expert Tip

We are often asked where to park, and the answer surprises people: there is no parking at the court. Plan your route the day before, including the car park or park and ride you will use. Then arrive 30 minutes before your listed time, not earlier. If you need a quiet room or want to wait apart from the other party, ask the court before the day, not on the morning.

Garry Steedman, Family Law Consultant (Divorce, Children & TOLATA)