Lerwick Town Hall, Hillhead Street, Lerwick

The building was designed by Alexander Ross and dates to 1881-3 with design alterations made during construction by John M. Aitken in 1882. It is a 2-storey, 5-bay symmetrical Gothic and Flemish Baronial style town hall, with crow-stepped gables, distinctive corner bartizans and a square-plan, battlemented clock tower to the rear (east) rising between a pair of 2-storey and attic wings. The building is set on an elevated site in Lerwick, facing west and is of stugged, squared and snecked sandstone with ashlar margins. There is a base course, moulded band courses and eaves course and finialled triangular roof vents. The entrance (west) elevation has an advanced central gabled entrance bay with a segmental-arched doorway and a 3-light corbelled oriel window above. Flanking this central bay is a pair of mullioned and transomed bi-partite windows at ground level and mullioned bi-partite windows with carved apron panels at the 1st floor. There is a rose window to the north gable and pointed-arched tracery windows at the 1st floor of the south gable. A linking corridor to Lystina House (see separate listing) lies to the east.

There are grey slates to the roof with fishscale pattern to the bartizans and there are some apex stacks. The 1st floor has stained glass windows to the hall and other windows are set in timber sash and case frames. Those to the west elevation at the ground floor have stained glass over 4-pane sashes.

The interior was seen in 2014. The late 19th century room layout is relatively little altered and many features of this date survive. The main hall on the first floor has an open timber roof with corbels and curved trusses. There are a number of significant stained glass windows in the building by James Ballantine & Son, dating to 1883 and Cox and Sons, Buckley & Co of London, dating to 1882. These include an outstanding series of narrative windows in the main hall, depicting several important figures in the history of Shetland from around 870-1469 and a rose window to the north wall with several coats of arms. There are further stained glass windows in the Council Chamber. There is timber panelling with quatrefoil design to the dado rail in the hall and some rooms. The central dog-leg stair has highly decorative metal balusters and a stained glass stair window depicting Lord Aberdour. There is some plain cornicing and large stone fire surrounds.

There is a low coped boundary wall with cast iron railings and pyramidal-capped gatepiers to the west and north elevations. Cast iron lamp standards with entwined dolphins and finialled lanterns are situated to the west of the entrance.