Edinburgh Sheriff Court is a sheriff court in Chambers Street in Edinburgh, within the sheriffdom of Edinburgh and Borders.

History

Until the mid-1990s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in the Lawnmarket. 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.

The new courthouse was designed by John Kirkwood Wilson of PSA Projects, built in buff sandstone at a cost of £47 million, and was officially opened to the public by the sheriff principal, Gordon Nicholson, in September 1994. The Cowgate elevation is eight storeys high and public access is to be building, which on the fourth level, is from Chambers Street. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate 16 courtrooms.

Operations

The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently thirteen sheriffs in post at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. 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.