Aberdeen’s first fully dressed granite ashlar building now accommodates High Court and sheriff court jury sittings.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built in 1801; Marischal Street addition around 1859
- Architect / designer
- James Burn; addition by William Smith
- Type
- Classical granite bank adapted as criminal courts and offices
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB20174)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 94436 06307
Architecture and continuing use
A five-bay Classical block turns a prominent sloping corner with channelled ground floor, giant Doric pilasters, deep cornice and balustraded parapet. A columned entrance hall survives within modern court accommodation.
Its story
James Burn designed the Aberdeen Banking Company’s bank in 1801. William Smith extended it around 1859, and later conversion created courtrooms, offices and secure cells.
Why it is included
It established the dressed-granite Classical language that came to define Aberdeen and continues in a major public legal role.
What to notice
- The precision of early hand-worked granite detailing.
- Giant Doric pilasters above the channelled ground floor.
- The building’s response to the steep Castle Street corner.
Reading the surroundings
This is a working court with security controls. Public access depends on court business; consult the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and allow time for screening.
Timeline
- Built in 1801 James Burn designed the Aberdeen Banking Company’s bank in 1801.
- Present Working High Court and sheriff court jury venue.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Court conversion modernised much of the interior, while the entrance hall and basement cells retain historic fabric.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Aberdeen Sheriff Court Annex and High Court of Justiciary, LB20174 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural interest.
- Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service: Aberdeen court annex — Current court use, original banking history, address, opening, security and accessibility information.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 94436 06307 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies a mapped National Grid Reference and a current official operator, responsible public body or institutional source confirms the Place relationship and present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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