Glasgow Sheriff Court

History

Until the mid-1980s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in Wilson Street. However, as the number of court cases in Glasgow grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site the court officials selected had previously been occupied by the Gorbals School located on the corner of Clyde Place and Buchan Street, but also facing onto Kirk Street, all of which were cleared in the mid-20th century.

The new court is located at 1 Carlton Place in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, on the banks of the River Clyde and adjacent to Glasgow Central Mosque. It is a three-storey building of large cut stone construction and was designed by the local architectural firm Keppie Design. The building is notable for its imposing mock Brutalist form – with its detail interior features being strongly influenced by the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with bespoke light fittings, skylights, dividing walls and lift interiors all designed to the Mackintosh language. The main atrium and circulation spaces conformed strongly to the Brutalist paradigm, with soaring exposed concrete ceilings and pillars.

The building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 July 1986. In 2008, the roof of the building was fitted with 700 square metres of solar panels, with the capacity to create some 97 kW of power. The system cost £500,000 to install, has an expected life-span of forty years, and is predicted to cut £20,000 from the Court's electricity bill, whilst saving around forty tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Operations

The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently twenty-eight sheriffs in post at Glasgow Sheriff Court (five of whom are floating sheriffs). They sit alone in civil cases and are assisted by a jury of fifteen members selected from the electoral roll in some criminal cases (cases involving solemn proceedings only). The Sheriff Principal is Aisha Anwar who replaced Sheriff Craig Turnbull in 2023.

References

References

1. (12 December 2007). "First Minister officially opens Glasgow Procurator Fiscal's Office". [[Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service]].
2. (2 May 2008). "Industrial action to hit Glasgow Sheriff Court". [[Law Society of Scotland]].
3. "Lion Television . Sheriff Court". Lion Television.
4. {{Historic Environment Scotland
5. {{Historic Environment Scotland
6. (1914). "Ordnance Survey Map".
7. (1884). "Special Catalogue of the Education Division". William Clowes and Sons.
8. (1988). "Discover the AJBL: Glasgow Sheriff Court by Keppie Design". Architects Journal.
9. [https://scotcourts.gov.uk/about-the-scottish-court-service/scs-news/2014/02/12/glasgow-sheriff-court-marks-listed-building-status Glasgow Sheriff Court marks listed building status] {{Webarchive. link. (11 November 2021 , [[Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service]], 12 February 2014)
10. (23 June 2008). "Solar panels to power Glasgow Sheriff Court". [[Scottish Government]].
11. (24 June 2008). "Solar panels are a bright move for court". Glasgow Times.
12. (10 May 2023). "New President and Vice President of Sheriff Appeal Court". Judiciary of Scotland.