Crieff Town Hall

Last updated

Crieff Town Hall
The Town Hall, Crieff (geograph 4587448).jpg
Crieff Town Hall
Location33 High Street, Crieff
Coordinates 56°22′21″N3°50′22″W / 56.3726°N 3.8394°W / 56.3726; -3.8394
Built1850
Architectural style(s) Scottish medieval style
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameTown Hall, 33 High Street, Crieff
Designated5 October 1971
Reference no.LB23484
Perth and Kinross UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Perth and Kinross

Crieff Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Crieff, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which currently accommodates the Crieff and Strathearn Museum, is a Category B listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The Burgh Cross inside the town hall The Burgh Cross - geograph.org.uk - 3674631.jpg
The Burgh Cross inside the town hall

The first municipal building in the town was a tolbooth in the High Street which was completed in 1665. The tolbooth was furnished with a clock and bell which were donated by Lord John Drummond, brother of James Drummond, 2nd Duke of Perth, in the early 18th century. A newer bell was cast by Stephen Miller and Company of Glasgow and installed in the tolbooth in 1821. [2] By the early 19th century, the tolbooth was dilapidated and it was demolished in 1842 in anticipation of a new town hall being erected on the same site. [3] The tolbooth bell was recovered for use in the new building. [2]

The new building was designed in the Scottish medieval style, built in rubble masonry with ashlar dressings and was completed in 1850. [4] [5] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of four bays facing west along the High Street. The second bay from the left, which slightly projected forward, was formed by a two-stage tower with an arched doorway with voussoirs surmounted by a coat of arms in the first stage. There was an arched window with voussoirs in the second stage and a set of clock faces high up above. The tower was surmounted by a cornice broken by some louvered gablets, with a pyramid-shaped spire and a weather vane above. The bay to the left was blind, while the two bays to the right were fenestrated by sash windows on the ground floor and by tall arched windows on the first floor, with stepped gables above. Internally, the principal rooms were the prison cells in the basement and the council chamber on the first floor. A marble panel commemorating the life of the former Baron of the Exchequer, Sir Patrick Murray, was installed inside the building. [1]

In the mid-20th century, the burgh council established chambers in North Bank Buildings, the former offices of the North of Scotland Bank in James Square, to accommodate the increasing needs of council officers and their staff. [6] [7] [8] The town hall continued to serve as a meeting place of the burgh council for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government when Perth and Kinross District Council was formed in 1975. [9] The ground floor was converted for use as a tourist information centre in 1988 while the basement was fitted out as a local history museum. Artefacts placed on display included the local mercat cross, known as the "Drummond Cross", which was named after the local landowner, James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, and dated back to the 17th century. Other items placed on display included the medieval stocks and the "Burgh Cross" which was used as a symbol of religious authority and dated back to the 9th century. [10]

An extensive programme of works, intended to reduce the ingression of damp into the basement, was completed at a cost of £178,000 in 2017. [11] In September 2023, the trustees of the Crieff and Strathearn Museum leased the building from Perth and Kinross Council. Over the next 6 months the trustees worked to create a museum which was officially opened by the former member of parliament, Rory Stewart, on 3 May 2024. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perthshire</span> Historic administrative division in Scotland

Perthshire, officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south; it borders the counties of Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the east, Fife, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire to the south and Argyllshire to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crieff</span> Market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland

Crieff is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become a hub for tourism, famous for whisky and its history of cattle droving. Attractions include the Caithness Glass Visitor Centre and Glenturret Distillery. The nearby Innerpeffray Library is Scotland's oldest lending library. St Mary's Chapel beside it dates from 1508. Both are open to the public: the library is run by a charitable trust; the chapel is in the care of Historic Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawick Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Hawick, Scotland

Hawick Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Hawick, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Hawick Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Sheriff Court</span> Building in Perth, Scotland

Perth Sheriff Court is an historic building on Tay Street in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the main courthouse for the area, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkcudbright Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Kirkcudbright, Scotland

Kirkcudbright Town Hall, currently operating as Kirkcudbright Galleries, is a municipal building in St Mary's Street, Kirkcudbright, Scotland. The building, which was the headquarters of Kirkcudbright Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberfeldy Town Hall</span> Municipal Building in Aberfeldy, Scotland

Aberfeldy Town Hall is a municipal building on Crieff Road in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is Category B listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alyth Town Hall</span> Municipal Building in Alyth, Scotland

Alyth Town Hall is a municipal structure in Albert Street in Alyth, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as a community events venue, is not yet listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverbervie Town House</span> Municipal building in Inverbervie, Scotland

Inverbervie Town House is a municipal structure in Church Street in Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The structure, which is primarily used as a public library, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbeltown Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Campbeltown, Scotland

Campbeltown Town Hall is a municipal structure in Main Street in Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinross Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Kinross, Scotland

Kinross Town Hall forms part of a complex of municipal buildings in the High Street, Kinross, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The town hall, which has been converted for residential use, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lochmaben Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Lochmaben, Scotland

Lochmaben Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Lochmaben, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a library and a local customer services point, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanquhar Tolbooth</span> Municipal building in Sanquhar, Scotland

Sanquhar Tolbooth is a municipal building in the High Street in Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a local history museum, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falkland Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Falkland, Scotland

Falkland Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Falkland, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which has been converted for use as offices and as shops, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverkeithing Town House</span> Municipal building in Inverkeithing, Scotland

Inverkeithing Town House is a municipal building in the Townhall Street, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a base by members of the local community council, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittenweem Parish Church and Tolbooth Steeple</span> Municipal building in Pittenweem, Scotland

Pittenweem Parish Church and Tolbooth Steeple is an ecclesiastical and municipal complex in the High Street, Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the local parish church, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newburgh Town House</span> Municipal building in Newburgh, Scotland

Newburgh Town House is a municipal building in the High Street in Newburgh, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a series of artists' studios, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burntisland Burgh Chambers</span> Municipal building in Burntisland, Scotland

Burntisland Burgh Chambers is a municipal structure in the High Street, Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. The building, which is the meeting place of the Burntisland Community Council, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cellardyke Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Cellardyke, Scotland

Cellardyke Town Hall is a municipal structure in Tolbooth Wynd, Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland. The building is used for local events. The mercat cross, which has been affixed to the front of the building, is a Category B listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milnathort Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Milnathort, Scotland

Milnathort Town Hall is a municipal building in New Road, Milnathort, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as community events venue, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aytoun Hall</span> Municipal building in Auchterarder, Scotland

Aytoun Hall, also referred to as Auchterarder Town Hall, is a municipal building in the High Street, Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as community events venue, is a Category C listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Town Hall, High Street, Crieff (LB23484)" . Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 Clouston, R. W. M. (1992). "The Bells of Perthshire" (PDF). Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. p. 456.
  3. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Crieff, High Street, Town Hall (25439)". Canmore . Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ↑ Gifford, John (2007). Perth and Kinross (Buildings of Scotland Series). Yale University Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-0300109221.
  5. ↑ O'Connor, Susan (2017). "Architecture, power and ritual in Scottish town halls, 1833–1973" (PDF). University of Bath. p. 250.
  6. ↑ Donald, Sir Robert (1961). The Municipal Year Book and Public Utilities Directory. Municipal Journal.
  7. ↑ "No. 18781". The Edinburgh Gazette . 13 June 1969. p. 448.
  8. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "32 James Square, Crieff (LB48484)" . Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Crieff Monuments" (PDF). Perth and Kinross Council. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  11. ↑ "Crieff treasures should be released from 'cultural slum' says local history campaigner". The Courier. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Museum Opening at Crieff town hall". Crieff and Strathearn Museum. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.