Old Selkirk Prison

About Old Selkirk Prison

At the arched gateway on the right is the stone entrance to the old Selkirk Prison, which was built in 1803 to replace the tollbooth. It was bought in 1886 by local historian Thomas Craig Brown who converted it and added a Reading Room. He presented the building to Selkirk for use as a library and this remains its current use. Above the gateway is a carving of the Burgh Seal depicting the Virgin and child and a building, which would represent the long-lost Selkirk Abbey.
The present Sheriff Courthouse, across the road, has been in use since 1870 and also served as the County Buildings before County Councils were abolished in 1975. The rope decoration above the main door was carved by a local stonemason. The basement originally housed the police station, cells and the sergeant’s accommodation while the building was linked to the jail by an underground passage, now bricked up.