Old Jail, Castle Street, Dornoch

The building comprises a 1842-44 former jail, a 1896-7 drill hall (both now in use as commercial premises, 2015) and a early 20th century rifle range. The Old Jail is a 3-storey, 4-bay structure, rectangular in plan and designed in a symmetrical Scottish Baronial style, designed by Thomas Brown in 1842-44 before being converted to use as premises for the Sutherland Rifle Volunteers about 1880. 2-storey, 2-bay L-plan Scots Baronial style drill hall offices were added to the west end of the jail with an attached hall to the rear in 1896-7. A rifle range that runs south from the drill hall was added during the early 20th century. To the east of the Old Jail is a small entrance courtyard enclosed by high walls adjoining the Old Jail. In the centre of the east wall is an arched opening and in the north wall is an opening with a studded door.

The elevation to Castle Street is of ashlar sandstone while the side elevations are squared coursed rubble, and the drill hall at the rear is also of squared coursed rubble. It is set in a prominent position on one of the main streets in Dornoch, adjacent to the former County Buildings and Castle, and opposite Dornoch Cathedral. The outer bays of the former jail are advanced with crowstepped gables with stone cross finials and dummy corner bartizan towers. There are also crowstepped gablets over the windows of the central bays of the jail. The front elevation of the drill hall premises also has a crowstepped gable and matching bartizan tower at the west end. There is a base course continuing to hoodmoulds over the ground floor windows and doors and an inscribed and dated panel above the entrance door to the drill hall area. There are round-headed window openings in the outer bays of the jail and an elliptical headed recessed entrance door to the drill hall, while the windows in the hall at the rear are also round-headed.

There is mainly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows in the jail section and 6-light mullioned and transomed ground and first floor windows in the drill hall section. There are grey slates on all parts of the roof and corniced chimney stacks with yellow clay cans on the ridge and gable ends of the Old Jail and there are ventilator finials on the ridge of the drill hall.

Some parts of the interior were seen in 2016. The jail has a number of mid-19th century fittings in place including some metal studded timber cell doors, stone-flagged floors and various ventilator grills in the walls and ceilings, some still with their opening and closing mechanisms. The drill hall section retains some of the late 19th century interior scheme including a timber boarded dado in the hallway, timber panelled doors, a timber staircase and what was probably a mess on the first floor with simple coved ceiling with moulded plasterwork. The drill hall itself retains some coloured glass and has a later mezzanine floor supported on columns so it is set back from the walls.