Edinburgh Sheriff Court is a

sheriff court A sheriff court () is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland, with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to , and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason, murder, and ra ...

in Chambers Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, within the

sheriffdom A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...

of Edinburgh and Borders.

History

Until the mid-1990s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in the

Lawnmarket The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal Mile runs between two ...

. However, as the number of court cases in Edinburgh grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site the court officials selected had previously been occupied by a part of

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

. The new courthouse was designed by John Kirkwood Wilson of PSA Projects, built in buff

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

at a cost of £47 million, and was officially opened to the public by the

sheriff principal In Scotland a sheriff principal (''pl''. sheriffs principal) () is a judge in charge of a sheriffdom with judicial, quasi-judicial, and administrative responsibilities. Sheriffs principal have been part of the judiciary of Scotland since the ...

, Gordon Nicholson, in September 1994. The Cowgate elevation is eight storeys high and public access is to be building, which on the fourth level, is from Chambers Street. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate 16 courtrooms.

Operations

The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently thirteen sheriffs in post at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. They sit alone in civil cases and are assisted by a jury of fifteen members selected from the

electoral roll An electoral roll (variously called an electoral register, voters roll, voters list, poll book or other description) is a compilation that lists persons who are entitled to vote for particular elections in a particular jurisdiction. The list is ...

in some criminal cases (cases involving

solemn proceedings Solemn proceedings is the term used in Scotland for serious criminal cases prosecuted on indictment before a judge and jury. These are distinct from summary proceedings before a sheriff or justice of the peace sitting without a jury. See also ...

only). The

Sheriff Principal In Scotland a sheriff principal (''pl''. sheriffs principal) () is a judge in charge of a sheriffdom with judicial, quasi-judicial, and administrative responsibilities. Sheriffs principal have been part of the judiciary of Scotland since the ...

is Nigel Ross who was appointed in 2022.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline Court buildings in Scotland Government buildings in Edinburgh Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Government buildings completed in 1994 1994 establishments in Scotland