Justiciary Courts, 212 Saltmarket Street, Glasgow

The Justiciary Courts, located at 212 Saltmarket Street in Glasgow, is an A-listed classical court building designed by William Stark between 1807 and 1814, with a main building reconstructed by J H Craigie of Clarke and Bell and J H Craigie from 1910 to 1913. This two-storey structure features a sunk basement and has a rectangular plan with 17 bays. It is notable for its large advanced hexastyle Greek Revival portico and slightly advanced outer bays. An addition made in the 1990s to the rear and side on Mart Street is not considered of special interest. The building is constructed of polished ashlar, with some parts channelled, and is positioned facing the open grounds of Glasgow Green. It includes pedimented and consoled doorcases in bays 4 and 14, a band course, cornice, and plain blocking course, as well as a triglyph frieze to the end and centre bays.

The ground floor features 3-pane glazing (with 2-pane lower sash and single upper) and 2-pane glazing on the first floor in timber sash and case windows. The building has corniced end stacks and slate roofs.

The interior, as seen in 2014, showcases an impressive early 20th-century Edwardian classical decorative scheme, including deep dentilled cornices, heavy timber doorcases, screens, and furnishings. Ionic scagiola columns and pilasters are present in the vestibule and both inner and outer halls. Flaxmanesque plaster panels adorn the inner hall. The north and south courtrooms are matched and feature heavy timber doorcases, balcony fronts, furnishings, and Ionic pilasters and columns. Judges' benches are set in timber panelled recesses with coved ceilings, topped by deep dentilled cornices supporting short paired pilasters. The staircases are embellished with decorative Baroque revival detailed ironwork.

Low boundary walls with rounded coping and iron railings, likely dating from the 1910-13 reconstruction, complete the property.