Greenock Sheriff Court

John Dick Peddie and Charles George Hood Kinnear, 1867-69. 2-storey and attic, 7-bay, symmetrical Scots Baronial sheriff court with prominent advanced central 4-stage square-plan tower with pyramidal roof topped with an open spire. The single-storey extension to north and 2-storey extension to east are not considered of special interest in listing terms at time of review.

The 2-storey and attic building is T-plan with adjoining single storey sections to rear at north and south, forming a square plan. The building is faced in sandstone ashlar with moulded architraves. It has a base course, band course, crow-stepped gables to side elevations and machicolations to the eaves course with decorative water spouts. There are bartizans to the corners, angled buttresses and some decorative engaged columns at corners. There are segmental-arched windows at the ground floor and gabled and pinnacle dormers at attic level.

The entrance elevation has central steps which lead to a segmental-arched doorway with engaged decorative columns and with corbelled balcony above. There is a machiolated balcony to the tower with pierce quatrefoil decoration.

The building has predominantly replacement plate glass in timber sash and case windows. There are grey slates, some wallhead stacks and cast iron downpipes.

The interior, seen in 2014, is arranged around a central east-facing courtroom on the ground floor and with an imperial staircase to the north. The 1867 room layout has been slightly modified, but much of the 1867 plan remains. The court has a number of 6-panel doors and a high, deeply coved ceiling with moulded and decorative cornicing. There are segmentally-arched clerestorey windows set within deep arches. There is raked public pew seating and a timber gallery to the east on iron columns. There is an unusually wide timber sheriff's bench with Ionic column decoration and panelled back and sounding board. Other fittings were replaced in the 1990s, including the access hatch from the basement cells to the dock. There is some decorative cornicing to other rooms and the hallways. The staircase has decorative metal balusters and a timber handrail.

Low ashlar boundary wall to west with metal railings and with pair of pyramidal-capped gatepiers.