Former Sheriff Court, Hope Street, Falkirk

2-storey, attic and basement, Scots Baronial in style former sheriff court by Thomas Brown and James Maitland Wardrop dating from 1866-68 and situated on a prominent corner site (now a funeral directors premises, 2016). The building has crowstepped gables and a distinctive 4-stage circular tower with a tall candle-snuffer roof in a re-entrant angle on the east elevation. It is built in snecked rubble with a base course, continuous string course above the ground floor with hoodmoulding and has a cornice. Some of the first floor windows have pedimented or semi-circular dormerheads with carved panels depicting historical and armorial subjects. The windows to the former courtroom at the rear are round-arched.

The 4-bay entrance elevation faces west (Hope Street). Steps lead to an off-centre timber entrance door with a fanlight above, and which has a surrounding moulded doorpiece with carved panels above. The gabled bays on either side are slightly advanced and have stone-mullioned tripartite windows at the ground floor with carved panels above. The first floor windows are rectangular with cornices and strapwork details above. The far right bay is recessed and there is a corner turret with small, narrow window at the upper storey.

The 5-bay south elevation (West Bridge Street) is asymmetrical with a pair of near central gables. The gable to the left has a canted re-entrant angle with a timber door and a carved panel above. Above is a corbelled, square turret with a quatrefoil dummy gunloop and a bellcast candlesnuffer roof and spirelet. At the west end of the elevation is a studded door and high set small horizontal barred windows of the former ground floor cells.

The windows are mostly timber sash and case. The tripartite windows have a single pane over 2-pane glazing pattern and the rectangular windows have a 2-pane over 4-pane glazing pattern. There are grey slates to the roof and tall ashlar chimney stacks.

The interior was seen in 2014 and is arranged around a former courtroom at first floor. The courtroom has a timber hammerbeam ceiling. There is a fine, open-well stone stair with ornate iron balusters and at the first floor landing there are square urn balusters with large square newel posts. There is an ornate coved ceiling with a large rectangular lantern light over the stair. Some of the larger rooms have cornicing and carved fire surrounds.

There is a low coped boundary wall to the south and west. A pair of panelled gatepiers are situated in the boundary wall to the west and are topped by spiral metal lamp stands.