Corn Exchange, Kelso

Corn Exchange, Kelso
Corn Exchange, Kelso
Location	Woodmarket, Kelso
Coordinates	55°35′55″N2°25′56″W / 55.5987°N 2.4322°W / 55.5987; -2.4322
Built	1856
Architect	David Cousin
Architectural style(s)	Jacobethan style
Listed Building – Category B
Official name	Corn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso
Designated	2 July 1980
Reference no.	LB35859
Shown in the Scottish Borders

The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Woodmarket, Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a health clinic, a dental practice and an online publisher, is a Category B listed building. ^[1]

History

In the mid-18th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company to finance and commission a new corn exchange for the town. The site they selected was on the southeast side of Woodmarket, an area where merchants originally traded in timber. ^[2]

The foundation stone for the new building was in July 1855. ^[3] It was designed by David Cousin in the Jacobethan style, built in rubble masonry with ashlar stone dressings at a cost of £3,000 and was opened in 1856. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Woodmarket. The central bay featured an arched doorway with an archivolt and a square hood mould on the ground floor and a five-part mullioned and transomed window on the first floor. The outer bays were fenestrated by tri-partite mullioned windows on the ground floor, by oriel windows on the first floor and by bi-partite mullioned windows in the gables above. Internally, the principal room was the main hall, which was 124 feet (38 m) long and 57 feet (17 m) wide, ^[4] and featured a hammerbeam roof and a gallery. ^{[1] [5]}

The building was initially very popular and the directors claimed that "more grain is sold by the grower, in Kelso Corn Exchange, than any other building in Great Britain". ^[6] However, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century. ^[7] Instead, it was used as a venue for agricultural worker hiring fairs where labours could seek work. ^[8] It accommodated a cinema known as the "Corn Exchange Picture House", which showed silent films from 1917 until shortly before the Second World War. ^[9] After the war, it became a popular events venue: performers included the rock band, The Move , in June 1967 and the garage rock band, The Troggs , in October 1967. ^[10]

By the 21st century, the use of the building had changed again with occupants comprising a health centre known as "Kelso Health & Wellness", ^[11] a dental practice known as "Gentle Touch", ^[12] and an online publisher known as "Texthouse". ^[13]

See also

• List of listed buildings in Kelso, Scottish Borders

References

1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Corn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso (LB35859)" . Retrieved 6 June 2023.
2. "About Woodmarket". Scotland Starts Here. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
3. Kelso. Vol. 14. The Builder. 28 June 1856.
4. Groome, Francis (1883). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Vol. 4. T. C. Jack.
5. "Heritage Statement: The Corn Exchange 31 Woodmarket, Kelso" (PDF). Evans Architectural. 1 April 2021. pp. 7–10. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
6. The Southern Counties' Register and Directory Containing Much Useful and Interesting Information, and Very Complete Lists Connected with the Counties of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Selkirk. Kelso: J. and J. H. Rutherfurd. 1866. p. 91.
7. Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN   978-1136581182.
8. Historic Environment Scotland. "Kelso, 29 Woodmarket, Corn Exchange (96144)". Canmore . Retrieved 6 June 2023.
9. "Kelso Cinemas". Scottish Cinemas. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
10. "Corn Exchange, Kelso". Setlist. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
11. "The Borders Menopause Clinic". Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
12. "The Gentle Touch Kelso Dental Practice". NHS Inform. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
13. "Finalists unveiled for Borders Business Awards". Border Telegraph. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.