Stonehaven Sheriff Court

Last updated

Stonehaven Sheriff Court
Former Stonehaven Sheriff Court (geograph 5432776).jpg
Stonehaven Sheriff Court
LocationDunnottar Avenue, Stonehaven
Coordinates 56°57′41″N2°12′31″W / 56.9614°N 2.2086°W / 56.9614; -2.2086
Built1865
Architect James Campbell Walker
Architectural style(s) Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameStonehaven Sheriff Court House and Police Station, including boundary walls, Dunnottar Avenue, Bogwell Lane, Stonehaven
Designated18 August 1972
Reference no.LB41617
Aberdeenshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Aberdeenshire

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]

Contents

History

After 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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonehaven</span> Town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Stonehaven is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census. After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal castle in the Wars of Independence, the Scottish Parliament made Stonehaven the successor county town of Kincardineshire. It is currently administered as part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area. Stonehaven had grown around an Iron Age fishing village, now the Auld Toon, and expanded inland from the seaside. As late as the 16th century, old maps indicate the town was called Stonehyve, Stonehive, Timothy Pont also adding the alternative Duniness. It is known informally to locals as Stoney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardineshire</span> Historic county in Scotland

Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of north-east Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north, and by Angus on the south-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff and Buchan</span> Modern committee area in Aberdeenshire

Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland, covering an area along the northern coast of the council area. The main towns are Banff and Fraserburgh. Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardine and Deeside</span> Scottish local government district (1975–1996), part of Grampian region

Kincardine and Deeside was one of five local government districts in the Grampian region of Scotland. Its council was based in Stonehaven. It was created in 1975 and abolished in 1996, when the area was included in the Aberdeenshire council area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Westminster), which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was first used in the 1997 general election, but has undergone boundary changes since that date. West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine was re-created as a parliamentary constituency in 1997, having previously existed as Kincardine and Western Aberdeenshire from 1918 to 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardine and Mearns</span>

Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population of 38,506. There are significant natural features in this district including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverbervie</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Inverbervie is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunnottar Parish Church</span> Church in the south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Dunnottar Parish Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving Stonehaven in the south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside. During 2020, the congregation united to the South Parish Church in Stonehaven to form Carronside Church of Scotland. On 3 June 2021, the Rev. Sarah Smith was inducted into the charge.

Kincardine was a burgh in Scotland, near the present-day village of Fettercairn. It gave its name to and served as the first county town of Kincardineshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonehaven Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Stonehaven, Scotland

Stonehaven Town Hall is a municipal building in Allardice Street, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The building, which is largely used as an events venue, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgin Sheriff Court</span> Courthouse in Elgin, Scotland

Elgin Sheriff Court is a courthouse in the High Street, Elgin, Moray, Scotland. The structure is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkwall Sheriff Court</span> Courthouse in Kirkwall, Scotland

Kirkwall Sheriff Court is a judicial structure in Watergate, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Orkney County Council and is currently used as a courthouse, is a Category C listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbarton Sheriff Court</span> Courthouse in Dumbarton, Scotland

Dumbarton Sheriff Court is a judicial structure in Church Street, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The complex, which was the headquarters of Dunbartonshire County Council and is currently used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingwall Sheriff Court</span> Courthouse in Dingwall, Scotland

Dingwall Sheriff Court is a former judicial structure in the High Street, Dingwall, Highland, Scotland. The complex, which was used as the headquarters of Ross and Cromarty County Council as well as the local courthouse before being converted for residential use in 2015, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Buildings, Selkirk</span> Courthouse in Duns, Scotland

County Buildings is a municipal structure in Ettrick Terrace, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The complex, which was the headquarters of Selkirkshire County Council and was also used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wick Sheriff Court</span> Judicial building in Wick, Scotland

Wick Sheriff Court is a judicial structure in Bridge Street, Wick, Caithness, Scotland. The structure, which remains in use as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stranraer Sheriff Court</span> Judicial building in Stranraer, Scotland

Stranraer Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Lewis Street, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The building, which continues to be used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanark Sheriff Court</span> Judicial building in Lanark, Scotland

Lanark Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Hope Street, Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which continues to serve as the local courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirling Sheriff Court</span> Judicial building in Stirling, Scotland

Stirling Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Viewfield Place, Barnton Street, Stirling, Scotland. The building, which remains in use as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonehaven Town House</span> Municipal building in Stonehaven, Scotland

Stonehaven Town House, also known as the Clock Tower and the Old Town Steeple, is a former municipal building on the High Street in Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The building, which was previously the meeting place of the burgh council, is a Category B listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic Environment Scotland. "Stonehaven Sheriff Court House and Police Station, including boundary walls, Dunnottar Avenue, Bogwell Lane, Stonehaven (LB41617)" . Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Napier, James (1870). Stonehaven and its historical associations being a guide to Dunnottar Castle and other places of interest. John Taylor. p. 3.
  4. ↑ Napier, James (1870). Napier. p. 6.
  5. ↑ "Stonehaven Sheriff Court". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ County Council Notes. The County and Municipal Record. 7 March 1905. p. 341.
  8. ↑ "No. 18384". The Edinburgh Gazette . 10 June 1948. p. 609.
  9. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "33 Evan Street, Kinnear House, and 1 Robert Street including boundary walls, gatepiers and railings (LB41622)" . Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Arduthie Road, Viewmount, Council Offices including nuclear bunker, ancillary building, boundary walls, gatepiers and railings (LB50245)" . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "End of an era for Stonehaven court". Mearns Leader. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Closure of Stonehaven court being marked by sheriffs". BBC. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Great verdict for bid to revitalise old court". The Press and Journal. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "Court building transferred to Stonehaven Town Partnership". Scottish Courts and Tribunals. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Stonehaven's former court building passes into community for £1". The Press and Journal. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.