Justiciary Buildings, Glasgow Explained

Justiciary Buildings
Coordinates:55.8537°N -4.2469°W
Location:Saltmarket, Glasgow
Built:1814
Architect:William Stark
Designation1:Category A Listed Building
Designation1 Offname:Justiciary Courts, excluding extension to Mart Street, 212 Saltmarket Street, Glasgow
Designation1 Date:15 December 1970
Designation1 Number:LB32844

The Justiciary Buildings is a judicial complex in the Saltmarket in Glasgow, Scotland. The complex, which operates in conjunction with similar facilities in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, is dedicated for the use of the High Court of Justiciary, which is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. It is a Category A listed building.

History

The building was commissioned to replace the Glasgow Tolbooth at Glasgow Cross as the main municipal and judicial building in Glasgow. It was designed by William Stark in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1814.[1]

The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seventeen bays facing onto the Saltmarket. The central section of five bays was formed by a full-height hexastyle portico with Doric order columns supporting an entablature, a frieze with triglyphs and a pediment. The wing sections, of five bays each, featured pedimented doorways in the central bay and were fenestrated by sash windows. The end bays, which slightly projected forward, were fenestrated by cross windows on the ground floor and by tripartite windows on the first floor; they were flanked by full height pairs of pilasters supporting an entablature, a frieze with triglyphs and a parapet. The central pediment above the portico originally contained the coat of arms of the City of Glasgow in the tympanum.[2] Internally, the principal rooms were the Justiciary Hall, which was located in the centre of the range behind the portico, the burgh courtroom, which was located to the north of the Justiciary Hall, and the city council chamber, which was located to the south of the Justiciary Hall. The lord provost's room and the offices of the town clerks were on the first floor.[2]

A tunnel took condemned prisoners from the Justiciary Hall to the place of execution in Jocelyn Square, then known as Jail Square: 67 men and four women were publicly hanged in the square.[3] [4] The building became wholly dedicated to judicial use after the city council relocated to the city and county buildings in Wilson Street in 1844.[5] [6]

In the early 20th century, it was decided to remodel the complex, in conjunction with similar facilities in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, for the exclusive use of the High Court of Justiciary, which is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The work was undertaken to a design by James Hoey Craigie of Clarke & Bell between 1910 and 1913. The building was significantly extended to the rear to a design by TBV Consult, the architectural arm of Tarmac Construction, in 1997.[7] [8] The complex was further extended in 2007, and again in 2016, in order to increase the capacity of the complex to nine courtrooms.[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Glasgow Green Court-house (now known as 'High Courts'), reconstructed as Justiciary Courts by J H Craigie . Scran.ac.uk . 5 January 1998 . 16 July 2022.
  2. Book: M'Ure, J.. Glasghu facies: a view of the city of Glasgow; or, An account of its origin, rise, and progress.. 1873. Glasgow. J. Tweed. 397–398.
  3. News: The secret Saltmarket tunnel that transported criminals to the hangman's noose. Glasgow Live. 9 July 2020. 16 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Justiciary Courthouse. Clydewaterfront. 16 July 2022.
  5. Book: Public Sculpture of Glasgow. Ray McKenzie . 2002. University Press . 9780853239376. 2012-08-17.
  6. Web site: City and County Buildings and second Merchants' House. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. 15 July 2022.
  7. Web site: History. TPS Consult . https://web.archive.org/web/20131118021639/http://www.tpsconsult.co.uk/tps/about-us/our-history.aspx . 18 November 2013. dead.
  8. Web site: Judiciary Court Houses. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. 15 July 2022.
  9. Web site: Glasgow High Court. Scottish Courts and Tribunals . 15 July 2022.