Court House And Police Station, Dunnottar Avenue, Stonehaven

James Campbell Walker 1863-65, incorporating circa 1767 fabric and alterations and additions by John Smith in 1822. 2-storey and basement, 11-bay, symmetrical neo-classical court house with slightly advanced end bays. Channelled ashlar at ground and polished ashlar above. Rubble to rear with tooled ashlar dressings. Base and band courses, mutuled eaves cornice and balustraded parapet. Fine decorative ironwork brattishing. Round-arched openings at ground floor and lugged architraved openings at 1st floor. Central porch with moulded round-arched opening with carved lion head keystone, springing from decoratively-capitalled granite columnettes, all flanked by pilasters. Irregular fenestration to rear including 3 round-arched windows at first floor with multi-pane glazing. 2-storey wing, dating from 1822, extended from left of rear elevation. 1983 Police Station extension to southeast (See Notes).

Predominantly plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Cavetto-coped ashlar stacks, some shouldered or panelled; some cans. Square-section cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.

The interior was seen in 2014 and is arranged around a central, south facing courtroom (Court 1) at 1st floor. This court room has an open pedimented doorpiece with double-face clock in tympanum. Judge's bench at east with classically-detailed, panelled timber sounding board incorporating large centre pediment with scrolled detail, all flanked by pedimented doorways. Steps leading to judge's bench with square-finialled, stop-chamfered newels. Moulded, decoratively-astragalled oculus window to west wall. Compartmented coombed ceiling with chandeliers, fine decorative cornices, boarded timber dadoes and cast-iron radiators. Some bench seats retained, including jury seats. Raked floor to public benches. Underneath floor is a narrow corridor with fragment of steps leading to the dock. Court Room 2 was refurbished before 1994 and has coombed ceiling with mutuled cornice, panelled reveals and cast-iron radiators. Double height entrance hall with cantilevered dog-leg staircase with decorative iron balusters. Lift at centre, installed in 2004. Part-glazed panelled timber screen door with flanking lights and semicircular fanlight. Vaulted cells at basement (1 now boiler room) incorporating stone flag floors. Original cell door to boiler room with viewing hole and large hinges. Vaulted record rooms at ground floor, with flagstone floor. Rooms and circulation spaces characterised by classical detailing including decorative and plain plasterwork cornices; timber shutters; 6-panelled architraved doors.

Boundary Walls: ashlar-coped rubble dwarf boundary walls with low square-plan terminating piers.