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Kirkwall Sheriff Court

A court in the Sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands

About the court

Kirkwall Sheriff Court was opened on 27 August 1877. The building was designed by David Bryce, one of Scotland's most important Victorian architects. The courthouse sits between the Historic Scotland sites of the Earls and Bishops Palaces. The building has one courtroom and sheriff chambers as well as office accommodation for the Sheriff clerk depute and the Procurator Fiscal Service.

Kirkwall Sheriff Court covers the whole of the Orkney Islands area.

image of Kirkwall Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court
Kirkwall Sheriff Court

Contact the court

Location and postal address

Sheriff Court House
Watergate
Kirkwall
Orkney
KW15 1PD

Phone

01856 872110

Sheriff Clerk

Laura Beth Macvie (Depute)

Email

kirkwall@scotcourts.gov.uk

DX

557986 Kirkwall

Jury helpline

The helpline is available from 17:00 the day prior to a sitting:

01856 872110

Difficulty using the phone

Phone interpreter

A phone interpreter service is available when you contact a court by phone or attend in person. To access this service ask for phone interpreter and the language required.

The phone interpreter service is not available during actual court proceedings.

Text relay service

If you are deaf, have hearing loss or are speech impaired you can contact us for free with Relay UK.

British Sign Language (BSL)

If you use British Sign Language (BSL) and wish to phone us using a sign language interpreter, you can use the online video relay interpreting service. For more information see the Contact Scotland BSL website.

Opening times

The Sheriff Clerk's office is open Monday to Friday:

  • 09:00 to 13:00
  • 14:00 to 16:00

Festive opening hours

The court will be closed on the following days:

  • Wednesday 25 December 2024
  • Thursday 26 December 2024
  • Wednesday 1 January 2025
  • Thursday 2 January 2025

 

The court will be open from 09.30 - 12.30 on the following days:

  • Friday 27 December 2024
  • Monday 30 December 2024
  • Tuesday 31 December 2024

The court will be open as normal on all other days.

Court schedule

The court sits 7 days a month.

  • Tuesday  - Civil
  • Wednesday - Crime

No court scheduled.

  • Monday - Proofs/Trials
  • Tuesday - Civil
  • Wednesday - Crime
  • Thursday - Trials
  • Friday  - Trials (business need dependent)

No court scheduled.

Public holidays

2024

  • January 1, 2
  • March 29
  • April 1
  • May 6
  • June 3
  • August 5
  • September 23
  • December 2, 25, 26

Commissary

All commissary work carried out.

New, first instance custodies

New, first instance custody cases will continue to be heard in hub courts as first instance cases in each Sheriffdom as follows. Thereafter, if a further substantive hearing is assigned this will be to the court of local jurisdiction.

Paying a fine

To pay a fine or for information please go to paying a fine.

Paying a fine

Directions to court

The sheriff court is in the centre of town and public transport is available. For public transportation information use the Traveline Scotland journey planner.

Please visit CycleStreets for details of the nearest cycle parking options.

Local and out of town buses stop at the Travel Centre, Kirkwall. Timetables are available at the Orkney Islands Council website.

There is no public parking available at the court house. There are several clearly signposted car parks within the town centre.

There are several local taxi firms that serve Kirkwall.

The nearest airport is Kirkwall Airport, approximately 4 miles away.

On arrival

On arrival please enter the sheriff clerk's public office, first door on the left. If you are attending for jury duty please come to the public office. Wheelchair users can access the building via a ramp to the main entrance.

If you have any specific access requirements please contact: Laura Beth Macvie, Sheriff Clerk Depute.

Languageline facilities are available for anyone who requires the support of an interpreter.

Facilities

There are a number of local cafes and restaurants near to the court building.

If you are sitting on a jury, lunch and refreshments will be provided for you if the court sits into the afternoon.

A loop induction service is available in all courtrooms for people who have hearing difficulties. Please contact the court if you require to use this facility.

Sheriffdom orders

Find out about the sheriffdom guidance, information and practice notes that apply to the courts in the Sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands.

Please also refer to the:

Sheriffdom orders