Edinburgh_Sheriff_Court

Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Court in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Edinburgh Sheriff Court is a sheriff court in Chambers Street in Edinburgh, within the sheriffdom of Edinburgh and Borders.

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

History

A courtroom in Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Until the mid-1990s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in the Lawnmarket.[1] However, as the number of court cases in Edinburgh grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site they selected had previously been occupied by a part of Heriot-Watt University.[2][3]

The new courthouse was designed by John Kirkwood Wilson of PSA Projects,[4] built in buff sandstone[5] at a cost of £47 million,[2] and was officially opened to the public by the sheriff principal, Gordon Nicholson, in September 1994.[6][7][8] The Cowgate elevation is eight storeys high and public access is to be building, which on the fourth level, is from Chambers Street.[4] Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate 16 courtrooms.[9]

Operations

The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently thirteen sheriffs in post at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.[10] They sit alone in civil cases and are assisted by a jury of fifteen members selected from the electoral roll in some criminal cases (cases using solemn procedure only). The Sheriff Principal is Nigel Ross who was appointed in 2022.[11]

References

  1. [1]
    Historic Environment Scotland. "High Court (Former Sheriff Court), 413-431 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh (LB27598)". Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. [3]
    Lawrie, Scott J. (1 May 1996). "The Edinburgh College of Art (1904 - 1969): A Study in Institutional History" (PDF). Edinburgh College of Art (Heriot Watt University). p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Scottish Courts". Historic Scotland. 1 October 2014. p. 28. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Sheriff Courthouse, Edinburgh". Stirling Stone. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court". Scottish Courts and Tribunals. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  7. [7]
    Stewart, Alan (2015). Tracing Your Edinburgh Ancestors: A Guide for Family and Local Historians. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1473879348.
  8. [8]
    "New £47m courthouse gathers all under one roof again". Herald Scotland. 13 September 1994. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  9. [9]
    "Doors Open Days at Edinburgh Sheriff Court". Citizens Advice Edinburgh. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  10. [10]
    "List of Scottish sheriffs". Scottish Courts and Tribunals. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Nigel Ross appointed as sheriff principal of Lothian and Borders". Scottish Legal News. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Edinburgh_Sheriff_Court, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.