The Courthouse and Gaol of the London District, c. 1843 George Russell Dartnell This view shows the river side and the south side of the building. The red brick building to the left is Dennis O'Brien's block and the three-storey buildings to the right are located on the northeast corner of Dundas and Ridout Streets. The courthouse was once described as "a feudal-looking pile, built at the close of an age which dreamt only of keeping the people in a state of semi-slavery." History of the County of Middlesex, 1889. Middlesex County Courthouse, a view from Ridout Street taken prior to the extension of the building in 1877-8, and the addition of the present central tower. Canadian Illustrated News, December 16, 1871.