Stonehaven Sheriff Court, formerly known as County Buildings, is a judicial structure in Dunnottar Avenue, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The structure, which was used as the headquarters of Kincardineshire County Council as well as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.[1]
| Stonehaven Sheriff Court | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stonehaven Sheriff Court | |
| Location | Dunnottar Avenue, Stonehaven |
| Coordinates | 56°57′41″N 2°12′31″W / 56.9614°N 2.2086°W |
| Built | 1865 |
| Architect | James Campbell Walker |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | Stonehaven Sheriff Court House and Police Station, including boundary walls, Dunnottar Avenue, Bogwell Lane, Stonehaven |
| Designated | 18 August 1972 |
| Reference no. | LB41617 |
  Shown in Aberdeenshire | |
History
editAfter sheriff court hearings were transferred from Kincardine to Stonehaven in 1660,[2] judicial proceedings were initially held in the Stonehaven Tolbooth which had been erected on the old pier in the late 16th century.[3] However, in the early 1760s, the Commissioners of Supply decided to commission a dedicated courthouse for the county of Kincardineshire: the site they selected was in Dunnottar Avenue in the "Auld Toon" part of Stonehaven. The new building was completed in 1767 and expanded in 1788.[4]
The courthouse was rebuilt, incorporating elements of the earlier structure including three prison cells, to a design by James Campbell Walker in the neoclassical style and it re-opened in 1865.[1][5] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of eleven bays facing Dunnottar Avenue, with the end two bays on either side slighted projected forward. The central bay, which also slightly projected forward, featured a portico which was formed by a round headed opening with colonnettes and a carved keystone, flanked by pilasters supporting a balustrade. The ground floor, which was rusticated, was fenestrated by round headed windows, while the first floor was fenestrated by square headed sash windows. At roof level, there was a balustraded parapet. Internally, the principal room was the main courtroom on the first floor.[1]
Following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, which established county councils in every county, the new county leaders needed to identify a meeting place for Kincardineshire County Council[6] and decided to use the courthouse for that purpose.[7] Additional offices in Evan Street were acquired in around 1920.[8][9]
In 1930, the county council absorbed the functions of the abolished county education authority, which had been based at offices in a converted house called Viewmount on Arduthie Road in Stonehaven. Viewmount burnt down in January 1932, and the county council took the opportunity to reconstruct and extend it to become a new headquarters, including a council chamber. The rebuilt Viewmount opened as the county council's meeting place and main offices in May 1935.[10][11]
The sheriff court then reverted to being purely a judicial building. It was used for hearings of the sheriff's court and, on one day a month, for hearings of the justice of the peace court until the court hearings were transferred to Aberdeen in 2015.[12][13] Ownership of the building was transferred to the Stonehaven Town Partnership for a nominal sum in May 2018.[14][15] The Stonehaven Town Partnership subsequently initiated refurbishment works to the building costing £150,000.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Historic Environment Scotland. "Stonehaven Sheriff Court House and Police Station, including boundary walls, Dunnottar Avenue, Bogwell Lane, Stonehaven (LB41617)". Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ Finden, William; Finden, Edward Francis; Chatto, William Andrew; Beattie, William (1842). The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places, and Coast Scenery of Great Britain Illustrated by Views Taken on the Spot. Vol. 2. George Virtue. p. 29.
- ^ Napier, James (1870). Stonehaven and its historical associations being a guide to Dunnottar Castle and other places of interest. John Taylor. p. 3.
- ^ Napier, James (1870). Napier. p. 6.
- ^ "Stonehaven Sheriff Court". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ Shennan, Hay (1892). Boundaries of Counties and Parishes in Scotland: as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1889. Edinburgh: William Green & Sons – via Internet Archive.
- ^ County Council Notes. The County and Municipal Record. 7 March 1905. p. 341.
- ^ "No. 18384". The Edinburgh Gazette. 10 June 1948. p. 609.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "33 Evan Street, Kinnear House, and 1 Robert Street including boundary walls, gatepiers and railings (LB41622)". Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Ideal working conditions for Kincardine's public servants: Home of efficiency and comfort arises from ashes of Viewmount". Mearns Leader. Stonehaven. 9 May 1935. p. 12. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Arduthie Road, Viewmount, Council Offices including nuclear bunker, ancillary building, boundary walls, gatepiers and railings (LB50245)". Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "End of an era for Stonehaven court". Mearns Leader. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "Closure of Stonehaven court being marked by sheriffs". BBC. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Great verdict for bid to revitalise old court". The Press and Journal. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Court building transferred to Stonehaven Town Partnership". Scottish Courts and Tribunals. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Stonehaven's former court building passes into community for £1". The Press and Journal. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
External links
edit
Media related to Stonehaven Sheriff Court at Wikimedia Commons
