Stranraer Sheriff Court

Stranraer Sheriff Court

A sheriff court house designed by Thomas Brown and James Maitland Wardrop, built between 1871 and 1874, with the former police station and prison block converted and remodelled in 1882. The building underwent further remodelling around 1939 and alterations and additions by the Property Services Agency in the circa 1970s.

The building is a 2-storey and attic structure with a roughly square plan, set in the Flemish Gothic style. A 4-stage square-plan tower stands at the northeast corner. It is constructed in red Galashiels sandstone with buff Hexham stone dressings, featuring string courses dividing the storeys on the east elevation, long and short quoins, and pointed arch openings at first floor level with long and short surrounds to the openings.

The east elevation serves as the entrance front. At its centre is a slightly advanced doorpiece with a hoodmoulded pointed arch leading to a 2-leaf timber door, flanked by single windows. Above this runs a balustrade parapet with stone ball finials. At first floor level are tripartite lancet windows with stone mullions, with a recessed plaque of Stranraer arms set above and a lion rampant carved at the gable apex. The outer bays have bipartite lancet windows with stone mullions at first floor. Crowstepped gables crown each of the three bays, with small single windows in those to the outer bays. Corbelled chimneys stand at the gable apexes with crocketed finials dividing the gables. Dragon gargoyles project from the corners to the outer left and right bays.

The west (rear) elevation comprises 9 bays arranged in groups of 2-2-5, with a flat-roofed harled extension to the left dating to around 1939. A gabled dormer projects at attic level in the bay to the right of the tower. The tower itself contains a porch with a round-arched opening accessed by steps, with single windows at the 2nd stage and a single window on the north elevation only at the 3rd stage. The tower is broached at its apex and capped by a stone-spired octagonal belfry.

The windows throughout are 4- and 6-pane timber sash and case windows. The roof is covered in grey slate with predominantly corniced gablehead Tudor stacks, some wallhead stacks, and circular cans. Cast iron rainwater goods with hoppers are dated 1872.

The interior is arranged with court service and public offices at ground floor level. A north-facing courtroom occupies the first floor, accessed via 3 large Romanesque arches that lead to an open well staircase. The staircase features decorative iron balusters, a timber handrail, and timber balustrade to the 1st floor landing. A large rectangular-plan light well with a coombed ceiling and coffered plasterwork rises through the staircase.

The former police station and prison block to the rear of the building was converted to a courtroom and offices in the 1882 remodelling. The ground floor contains cells and police functions, while the first floor holds a courtroom with round-arched windows facing west. This courtroom features 6-panel doors, a high pointed arch ceiling with simple rib vaulting springing from decorative corbels, a timber sheriff's bench, and some remaining original timber panelling to the well barrier. The sheriff's chamber, accessed from behind the bench, was created as part of the 1880s scheme. Decorative cornicing and panelled doors are found throughout other rooms and hallways. A number of fireplaces remain, though many are now boarded up. Evidence of the former county hall gallery, situated towards the east principal elevation and accessed from the attic, survives with its decorative cast iron gallery balustrade retaining an inset cypher dated '1872'. Two cells from the original 1872 scheme remain at ground floor, each fitted with studded steel doors.

A war memorial dating to 1920 stands in front of the court house, comprising a Creetown granite square pedestal supporting a bronze statue of a Royal Scots Fusilier. Square-plan gatepiers with pyramidal caps are located at the vehicular entrances to the outer left and right. Coped boundary walls enclose the site, with some sections to the east featuring pyramidal coping.