Until the mid-1990s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in the Lawnmarket.[1] However, as the number of court cases in Edinburgh grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site they selected had previously been occupied by a part of Heriot-Watt University.[2][3]
The new courthouse was designed by John Kirkwood Wilson of PSA Projects,[4] built in buff sandstone[5] at a cost of £47 million,[2] and was officially opened to the public by the sheriff principal, Gordon Nicholson, in September 1994.[6][7][8] The Cowgate elevation is eight storeys high and public access is to be building, which on the fourth level, is from Chambers Street.[4] Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate 16 courtrooms.[9]
Operations
The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently thirteen sheriffs in post at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.[10] 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 using solemn procedure only). The Sheriff Principal is Nigel Ross who was appointed in 2022.[11]
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