Stirling Sheriff Court, Viewfield Place, Stirling

The first judicial building in Stirling was the tolbooth which, in its original form, dated from 1473. It was rebuilt in 1705, and augmented by a courthouse and prison block, designed by Richard Crichton, which was built to the south of the original building and completed in 1811. However, by the mid-19th century the old courthouse was considered inadequate and, following the implementation of the Sheriff Court Houses (Scotland) Act 1860, which laid down minimum standards for courthouses, the Commissioners of Supply decided to commission a new courthouse in Viewfield Place. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of seven bays facing onto Viewfield Place with the end bays projected…