Glasgow Sheriff Court

Glasgow Sheriff Court is a sheriff court in the Gorbals (Laurieston) area of Glasgow, within the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. Reputedly the busiest court in Europe,  it is a Category B listed building.

History
Until the mid-1980s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in Wilson Street. However, as the number of court cases in Glasgow grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site selected had previously been occupied by the Gorbals School located on the corner of Clyde Place and Buchan Street, but also facing onto Kirk Street, all of which were cleared in the mid-20th century.

The new court is located at 1 Carlton Place in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, on the banks of the River Clyde and adjacent to Glasgow Central Mosque. It is a three-storey building of large cut stone construction and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 July 1986. In 2008, the roof of the building was fitted with 700 square metres of solar panels, with the capacity to create some 97 kW of power. The system cost £500,000 to install, has an expected life-span of forty years, and is predicted to cut £20,000 from the Court's electricity bill, whilst saving around forty tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Operations
The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently twenty-eight sheriffs in post at Glasgow Sheriff Court (five of whom are floating sheriffs). 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 Aisha Anwar who replaced Sheriff Craig Turnbull in 2023.