Wick Sheriff Court | |
---|---|
![]() Wick Sheriff Court | |
Location | Bridge Street, Wick |
Coordinates | 58°26′31″N3°05′34″W / 58.4420°N 3.0928°W Coordinates: 58°26′31″N3°05′34″W / 58.4420°N 3.0928°W |
Built | 1866 |
Architect | David Rhind |
Architectural style(s) | Renaissance Revival style |
Listed Building – Category B | |
Official name | Wick Sheriff Court, excluding flat-roofed extension to southeast, Bridge Street, Wick |
Designated | 14 September 1983 |
Reference no. | LB42300 |
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. [1]
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the county town of Caithness and the venue for sheriff court hearings was Thurso. However, in the early 19th century, Wick developed significantly and, following a decree of the Court of Session, hearings were transferred from Thurso to Wick in 1828. [2] [3] Hearings were subsequently held in a courtroom in the newly-completed Wick Town Hall. [4]
In the 1860s, the Commissioners of Supply decided that Wick needed a dedicated courthouse: the site they selected was just to the north of the town hall. The new building was designed by David Rhind in the Renaissance Revival style, built in ashlar stone and was officially opened on 16 May 1866. [5] [6] [7]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Bridge Street. The central bay featured a round headed doorway with a keystone and an architrave flanked by pairs of Doric order pilasters supporting an entablature and a cornice. The outer bays on the ground floor were fenestrated by round headed sash windows with keystones and architraves while all three bays on the first floor were fenestrated by bi-partite round headed windows with balustrades, colonnettes and rosettes in the spandrels. At attic level, there was a central tower with a window and a mansard roof flanked by aediculae and, beyond that, by piers surmounted by ball finials. 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 Caithness County Council [8] and duly arranged to take possession of the sheriff court and town hall complex in Bridge Street. [lower-alpha 1] However, in the 1930s, the county council sought dedicated county offices and acquired a building in the High Street known as Stafford Place for that purpose. [10]
After the abolition of Caithness County Council in 1975, the building continued to serve a judicial function, being used for hearings of the sheriff's court and, on one day a month, for hearings of the justice of the peace court. [11]
Caithness is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
Wick is a town and royal burgh in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. "Wick Locality" had a population of 6,954 at the time of the 2011 census, a decrease of 3.8% from 2001.
Inveraray Jail, formerly County Buildings, is a municipal structure in Church Square, Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Argyll County Council as well as a jail and a courthouse, is a Category A listed building.
Rothesay Town Hall and County Buildings is a former municipal building in Castle Street, Rothesay, Scotland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Rothesay Burgh Council and of Bute County Council, is a Category B listed building.
Perth Sheriff Court is an historic building on Tay Street in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the main courthouse for the area, is a Category A listed building.
County Buildings is a municipal structure in the High Street in Kinross, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates the local area offices for Perth and Kinross Council, is a Category B listed building.
Tain Tolbooth is a municipal building in the High Street, Tain, Highland, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a courthouse, is a Category A listed building.
Thurso Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Thurso, in the Highland area of Scotland. The structure, which is used as a museum, is a Category B listed building.
Wick Town Hall is a municipal building in Bridge Street, Wick, in the Highland area of Scotland. The structure, which is used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.
Cromarty Courthouse, formerly Cromarty Town House, is a municipal building in Church Street, Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. The structure, which is used as a museum, is a Category A listed building.
Banff Sheriff Court is a judicial structure in Low Street, Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Banffshire County Council and was also used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.
County Buildings is a municipal structure in Court Street, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of East Lothian County Council and was also used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.
Elgin Sheriff Court is a municipal structure in the High Street, Elgin, Moray, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Morayshire County Council and remains in use as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.
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.
Paisley Sheriff Court is a municipal structure in St James Street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The complex, which was the headquarters of Renfrewshire County Council and is currently used as a courthouse, is a Category A listed building.
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.
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.
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.
County Buildings is a municipal structure in Drysdale Street, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Clackmannanshire County Council and is currently used as courthouse, is a Category B listed building.
County Offices, formerly Stafford Place, is a municipal structure in the High Street, Wick, Caithness, Scotland. The façade of the building, which was the headquarters of Caithness County Council and is currently used as a customer service point by The Highland Council, is a Category B listed building.