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Summary

Description

James Campbell Walker 1863-65, incorporating circa 1767 fabric and alterations and additions by John Smith in 1822. 2-storey and basement, 11-bay, symmetrical neo-classical court house with slightly advanced end bays. Channelled ashlar at ground and polished ashlar above. Rubble to rear with tooled ashlar dressings. Base and band courses, mutuled eaves cornice and balustraded parapet. Fine decorative ironwork brattishing. Round-arched openings at ground floor and lugged architraved openings at 1st floor. Central porch with moulded round-arched opening with carved lion head keystone, springing from decoratively-capitalled granite columnettes, all flanked by pilasters. Irregular fenestration to rear including 3 round-arched windows at first floor with multi-pane glazing. 2-storey wing, dating from 1822, extended from left of rear elevation. 1983 Police Station extension to southeast (See Notes).

Predominantly plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Cavetto-coped ashlar stacks, some shouldered or panelled; some cans. Square-section cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.

The interior was seen in 2014 and is arranged around a central, south facing courtroom (Court 1) at 1st floor. This court room has an open pedimented doorpiece with double-face clock in tympanum. Judge's bench at east with classically-detailed, panelled timber sounding board incorporating large centre pediment with scrolled detail, all flanked by pedimented doorways. Steps leading to judge's bench with square-finialled, stop-chamfered newels. Moulded, decoratively-astragalled oculus window to west wall. Compartmented coombed ceiling with chandeliers, fine decorative cornices, boarded timber dadoes and cast-iron radiators. Some bench seats retained, including jury seats. Raked floor to public benches. Underneath floor is a narrow corridor with fragment of steps leading to the dock. Court Room 2 was refurbished before 1994 and has coombed ceiling with mutuled cornice, panelled reveals and cast-iron radiators. Double height entrance hall with cantilevered dog-leg staircase with decorative iron balusters. Lift at centre, installed in 2004. Part-glazed panelled timber screen door with flanking lights and semicircular fanlight. Vaulted cells at basement (1 now boiler room) incorporating stone flag floors. Original cell door to boiler room with viewing hole and large hinges. Vaulted record rooms at ground floor, with flagstone floor. Rooms and circulation spaces characterised by classical detailing including decorative and plain plasterwork cornices; timber shutters; 6-panelled architraved doors.

Boundary Walls: ashlar-coped rubble dwarf boundary walls with low square-plan terminating piers.

Statement of Special Interest

Stonehaven Court House is a good example of mid-19th century court building which incorporates earlier fabric from two significant periods of improvements to this building type: the mid-18th century and the early 19th century. The building has good neo-classical detailing internally and externally, such as moulded architraves, balustraded parapet, decorative brattishing and carved detailing to its entrance porch. The neo-classical style became widespread across western Europe from the mid-18th century. In Scotland architects used this style for country houses and public buildings, including court houses, as an appropriate indication of the status of these buildings. The survival of the 18th century basement cells are particularly rare. Sited at the junction of the old and new town of Stonehaven the building has significance presence in the town with its imposing neo-classical façade terminating the axial view down Allardice Street.

Stonehaven was the seat of Justice for Kincardineshire from 1600, with the Tolbooth (see separate listing) at Stonehaven harbour accommodating a court and prison. From 1748 most hereditary offices and heritable jurisdictions were abolished and salaried sheriff deputes, who were qualified advocates, were placed in charge of sheriff courts. Increasing co-operation with county authorities from the late 18th century onwards led to the erection in several burghs of shared 'Town and County Buildings', many of which contained court and prison accommodation. (RCAHMS, p.1)

In 1767 judicial functions were transferred from Stonehaven's Tolbooth to the new County Building on Dunnotar Avenue. The form of the 1767 building is unknown, however, three prison cells from this building survive to the basement of the current courthouse. These cells are connected to the 1st floor court room by a narrow corridor and stone steps leading to the dock. The Minutes of the Commissioners of Supply for Kincardshire indicate that work to the County Buildings was carried out incrementally during the late 18th century.

In the early 19th century and prior to the (prison) Reform Acts of 1819 and 1839, a number of Scottish towns and cities had already begun to construct or adapt buildings to separate judicial functions from other civic and administration activities. Drawings dated 1817 and signed by the architect J Paterson of Edinburgh propose additions to Stonehaven's County Building. Whilst it is not known if any of this proposed work was carried out, the drawings indicate that the rectangular plan form of the 1st floor court room existed before 1817.

In 1822 John Smith reworked and extended the Stonehaven County Buildings (Colvin, p955) and the Aberdeen Journal article of 9 January 1822 records that this work was required to provide an office for the sheriff-clerk, a record room and a moderate sized house for the jailor as well as converting the previous office and record room into cells. The County Building is shown on Wood's map of 1823 as a U-plan building, with the flanking wings set back from a central rectangular block.

The Sheriff Courthouses (Scotland) Act of 1860 gave a major, country wide impetus to the increase and improvement of courts, and this was the most active period of Sheriff Court House construction in the history of the Scottish legal system. The Stonehaven County Buildings were reworked by James Campbell Walker in 1863-5. This work comprised an addition of a Renaissance frontage and the reworking and extension of the rear wings to a 3-storey cell block and a 2-storey police block. The fixtures of the principal court room are shown on Walker's architectural plans and therefore are likely to date to this scheme.

After 1983 the 3-storey cell block was demolished and a 3-storey police station constructed to form an east wing to the building. The 1863 2-storey police wing, to southwest, was also altered after 1983. A fire in 1994 caused some damage to the fiscal's office and stair well.

James Campbell Walker (1821-1888) was an Edinburgh based architect, particularly known for Dunfermline Town Hall (1875) and Hawick Town Hall (1883), which are both listed at category A. In 1842 Walker was articled to William Burn and by the 1850s he was principal clerk for David Bryce, the style of the latter was especially influential to his work. Stonehaven Court House is his only court building recorded in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects.

John Smith (1781-1852) was one of two leading architects in Aberdeen during the early nineteenth century, with nearly every important commission won by him or Archibald Simpson. He was appointed City Architect in 1824 and for thirty years directed the public works of the rapidly expanding city. He is best known for his neo-classical designs, but became known as "Tudor Johnny" as his later work incorporated a Tudor-Gothic form. Smith designed the courthouse and east prison at Lodge Walk in Aberdeen, which is now demolished.

Statutory address and listed building record updated in 2014. The 1983 police station addition was not considered of special interest at the time of the listing review. Previously listed as "Dunnotar Avenue, Sheriff Court House with Police Station Including Boundary Walls".

References

Bibliography

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