[1] Although sheriff court hearings have taken place in Fort William since 1794,[2][3] a prison, with a courtroom, was only established in the town in 1849.

[5] The new building was designed by James Matthews and William Lawrie in the Gothic Revival style, built in red sandstone and was completed in 1876.

The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of three bays facing southwest down the High Street.

The first bay on the left was fenestrated with a pair of arched windows with hood moulds on each floor, with a gable above.

[6] An extensive programme of refurbishment works was completed in 1996, enabling the building to continue to serve as the venue for sheriff court hearings in the area.