Dreel Halls

Last updated

Dreel Halls
Anstruther - Dreel Halls (geograph 6396379).jpg
Dreel Halls showing the former town hall (to the left of the tower) and the tower and main transept of the parish church (to the right)
LocationElizabeth Place, Anstruther Wester
Coordinates 56°13′20″N2°42′15″W / 56.2222°N 2.7042°W / 56.2222; -2.7042 Coordinates: 56°13′20″N2°42′15″W / 56.2222°N 2.7042°W / 56.2222; -2.7042
Built1795
Architectural style(s) Scottish medieval style
Listed Building – Category A
Official nameAnstruther Wester Parish Church (now St Aidan's Church Hall)
Designated9 May 1972
Reference no.LB36191
Listed Building – Category C(S)
Official nameAnstruther Wester Parish Churchyard And Gravestones
Designated9 May 1972
Reference no.LB36192
Listed Building – Category C(S)
Official nameAnstruther Wester Town Hall, Session House and Town Hall
Designated9 May 1972
Reference no.LB36193
Fife UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Fife

Dreel Halls is a municipal complex in Elizabeth Place, Anstruther Wester, Fife, Scotland. The complex, which is used as a community events venue, consists of the former St Nicholas's Parish Church, which is a Category A listed building, [1] and the former Anstruther Wester Town Hall, which is a Category C listed building. [2]

Contents

History

The Parish Church

The earliest part of the complex is the parish church dedicated to St Nicholas which was completed in 1243. It was formed by a three-stage tower facing Elizabeth Place, which was rebuilt in harled rubble in about 1510, and a main transept which was rebuilt, also in harled rubble, to a design by James Smith, behind the tower in 1846. [3]

There was a square-headed doorway in the first stage of the tower, a small square window with a wrought iron grill in the second stage, and a belfry with two louvres in the third stage; the tower was surmounted by a modillioned parapet, a spire and a weather vane. The east end of main transept, which was surmounted by a stepped gable, featured a blind oculus containing a simple cross, while the north side was fenestrated by two rounded headed windows with keystones and the south side was fenestrated by three round headed windows with keystones. [4] Internally, the principal room was the main transept which featured an apse at the east end. [5]

A new bell, cast by George Watt of Edinburgh, was installed in the belfry in 1789 and a clock, designed and manufactured by James Ritchie & Son of Broxburn, was installed in the tower in 1868. [6] The church was united with Anstruther Easter Parish Church, which was dedicated to St Adrian, in 1961 and became St Adrian's Church Hall in 1970. It was subsequently renamed the Hew Scott Hall in memory of the local parish priest, Hew Scott, who wrote Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae: The succession of ministers in the parish churches of Scotland, from the reformation, A.D. 1560, to the present time. [7]

The Town Hall

The first municipal building in Anstruther Wester was a tolbooth in the Anstruther Wester Harbour area which dated back at least to the 17th century. After the tolbooth was destroyed in a storm, the burgh council met in the bailie's house until it decided to commission a dedicated burgh hall in the late 18th century. The site they chose for the new building was to the immediate south of the parish church. It was designed in the Scottish medieval style, built in harled rubble and was completed in 1795. [8] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of four bays facing Elizabeth Place. The third bay from the left featured a doorway with an architrave, an entablature, a cornice and a small triangular pediment. The other bays were fenestrated, on an irregular basis, by sash windows. Internally, the principal rooms were the local school room on the ground floor and the burgh council chamber on the first floor. The council chamber was decorated with a mural depicting the burgh coat of arms on the south wall. [6]

Although the school relocated in 1827, the council chamber continued to serve as the meeting place of the burgh council into the 20th century; it ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester Burgh Council was formed at Anstruther Easter Town Hall in 1930. [9]

Restoration

In 2013, Fife Historic Buildings Trust acquired the parish church from the Church of Scotland and the town hall from Fife Council and initiated an extensive programme of restoration works to the external fabric of the buildings. The work was carried out by John Smart & Sons (Kirkcaldy) Ltd at a cost of £915,000 to a design by Arc Architects and was completed in January 2014. [10] [11] [12] The complex was renamed Dreel Halls to recall the name of the Dreel Burn which separates Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester. The building was then transferred to the ownership of the Anstruther Improvements Association which commissioned a programme of internal works which was completed in September 2020. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Crail Human settlement in Scotland

Crail ; Scottish Gaelic: Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.

Anstruther Human settlement in Scotland

Anstruther is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and 9 mi (14 km) south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester, which are divided by a stream, the Dreel Burn. With a population of 3,500, it is the largest community on the Firth of Forth's north-shore coastline known as the East Neuk. To the east, it merges with the village of Cellardyke.

Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester was a royal and small burgh in Fife, Scotland from 1930 to 1975.

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

Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall is a municipal structure in Crail, Fife, Scotland. The building, which stands in Marketgate, at its junction with Tolbooth Wynd, is Category A 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">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.

Anstruther Town Hall Municipal building in Anstruther, Scotland

Anstruther Town Hall is a municipal building in School Green, Anstruther Easter, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.

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

Selkirk Town House is a municipal building in the Market Place, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a local history museum is a Category A listed building.

Falkland Town Hall 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.

Inverkeithing Town House 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.

Dysart Tolbooth and Town House Municipal building in Dysart, Scotland

Dysart Tolbooth and Town House is a municipal building in the High Street, Dysart, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which was comprehensively restored in 2009, 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">West Wemyss Tolbooth</span> Municipal building in West Wemyss, Scotland

West Wemyss Tolbooth is a municipal building in Main Street, West Wemyss, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as commercial offices, is a Category B listed building.

Kinghorn Town Hall Municipal building in Kinghorn, Scotland

Kinghorn Town Hall is a municipal building in St Leonard's Place, Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is used as holiday accommodation for tourists, is a Category B listed building.

Newburgh Town House 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.

Burntisland Burgh Chambers 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 accommodates a local history museum and is also used as a local events venue. The mercat cross, which has been affixed to the front of the building, is a Category B listed structure.

Auchtermuchty Town House Municipal building in Auchtermuchty, Scotland

Auchtermuchty Town House is a municipal structure in the High Street, Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates the local public library, is a Category B listed building.

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

Strathmiglo Town House is a municipal structure in the High Street, Strathmiglo, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is now disused, is a Category A listed building.

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

Cromarty Courthouse, formerly Cromarty Town House, is a municipal building in Church Street, Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. The structure, which is used as a museum, is a Category A listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Anstruther Wester Parish Church (now St Aidan's Church Hall) (LB36191)" . Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Anstruther Wester Town Hall, Session House and Town Hall (LB36193)" . Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Anstruther Wester Parish Church (Dreel Halls)". Scottish Churches. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Anstruther Wester, High Street, St Adrian's Church Hall (34061)". Canmore . Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Apse on the interior east elevation of the Anstruther Church". Scottish Churches. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Anstruther Wester, High Street, Town Hall (34188)". Canmore . Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "History". Dreel Halls. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Tolbooths and Town-houses Civic Architecture in Scotland to 1833. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. 1996. p. 33. ISBN   978-0114957995.
  9. ↑ "Anstruther Wester Burgh". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dreel Halls". Fife Historic Buildings Trust. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Dreel Halls". Urban Realm. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Anstruther's historic Dreel Halls re-open". European Union News. 27 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Dreel Halls Project". Anstruther Improvements Association. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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.