Photograph taken in 1988 by Prof. Miles Glendinning

The Four Courts - Churchill Court, Kennedy Court, Roosevelt Court, Bevin Court - are located on Stonehouse Drive, and are the only high-rise tower blocks ever to be built in Hastings and St Leonards.

They were constructed between 1964 and 1967 during a wave of multi-storey housing projects in the postwar decades. The building contractor was Wimpey.

The 35 acres of land on which the Four Courts stand once belonged to the Eversfield estate that held the majority of St Leonards at the time, including Warrior Square and Gensing Gardens. 

In 1958 a public inquiry was held into an application made by George Lucraft Ltd for planning permission to develop land on the west side of Adelaide Road and Theaklen Drive.

A representative for the applicants, Mr William Glover spoke to residents about the preservation of a small area of the land to be used as public open space which is the walk along hollington stream. This became non-negotiable upon the final sale of the land.

Following the inquiry the minister of housing declared the indisputable need for housing in the local area and proposed 35 acres of land to site both industrial and residential buildings.

To acquire the land, company George Lucraft Ltd sought a compulsory purchase of land order before any development could begin.

The first of the blocks to be completed was Churchill Court, and the first residents moved in in 1966. All building works were complete in 1967.

The Four Courts once had a community newspaper 'The Rising Times'. it was launched by community neighbourhood officer Robert Cunningham in 1976, and went on to be produced from resident Kathy Mckay's flat near the top of Bevin Court. It cost £16 per issue to produce, and had to be self-financing by the third issue.