Haddington Town House

Last updated

Haddington Town House
Haddington town hall, East Lothian.jpg
Haddington Town House
LocationCourt Street, Haddington
Coordinates 55°57′20″N2°46′43″W / 55.9556°N 2.7787°W / 55.9556; -2.7787 Coordinates: 55°57′20″N2°46′43″W / 55.9556°N 2.7787°W / 55.9556; -2.7787
Built1745
Architect William Adam
Architectural style(s) Scottish baronial style
Listed Building – Category A
Official nameTown Hall
Designated5 February 1971
Reference no.LB34185
East Lothian UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in East Lothian

Haddington Town House is a municipal structure in Court Street, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. The structure, which is the meeting place of East Lothian Council, is a Category A listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The first municipal building in the town was a medieval tolbooth which dated back to the early 15th century. [2] It incorporated a drawbridge, a gaol for petty criminals and a spire. [2] The bell in the tollbooth was rung at 7am and 10pm every day from the mid-16th century. [3] By the 1730s, the building was in a dilapidated condition and meetings were transferred to the local library while the burgh leaders procured a new building. [2]

Construction of the new building started in 1742. [4] It was designed by William Adam in the Scottish baronial style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1745. [5] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage facing west along Court Street; it was initially arcaded on the ground floor so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor. [2] At the west end there were pilasters on the first floor supporting a pediment: after the markets had been abandoned, the ground floor was enclosed, a three-light segmental window was installed on the ground floor and, in 1788, a Venetian window was added on the first floor. [1] At the east end, there was a clock tower with a belfry to which a spire, designed by James Gillespie Graham, was added in the 1831. [5] [6] Internally, the principal rooms were the cells for prisoners on the ground floor and the accommodation for the sheriff's court and the burgh council on the first floor. [2]

In 1930, following the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, Haddington was reclassified as a small burgh, ceding many of its functions to East Lothian County Council, as the town was not considered large enough to run its own services efficiently. The town council of the burgh continued to use the town house as its meeting place. [7] A plaque, presented by the commanding officer of the 10th Polish Mounted Rifles, part of Polish I Corps, to commemorate the hospitality of the people of Haddington during the unit's stay at Amisfield, was installed on the staircase in the town house in 1942, during the Second World War. [8]

Following significant deterioration in the structure of the building, which led civic leaders to consider demolition as an option, the building was extensively refurbished to a design by Peter Whitson in the mid-1950s. [4] Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the town hall to inspect the progress before undertaking a tour of the town on 7 July 1956. [9] [10] The building was officially re-opened by the Queen's aunt Princess Mary later in the year. [4] It continued to serve as the headquarters of the town council for much of the 20th century, [11] and remained the meeting place of the successor East Lothian District Council created in 1975 and then the current East Lothian Council created in 1996. [12] [13] [14]

Works of art in the town house include a painting by the locally-born artist, William George Gillies, of a Midlothian landscape, [15] a painting by William Darling McKay, who was born in Gifford, of cattle being driven on the salt marshes, [16] and a painting by Patrick Adam, who was born in Edinburgh, of Gullane Links. [17] There is also a painting by William Stewart MacGeorge, who was born in Castle Douglas, of a river with trees and a farm. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lothian</span> Council area of Scotland

East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlothian</span> Council area of Scotland

Midlothian is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothian</span> Region of the Scottish Lowlands

Lothian is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other significant towns include Livingston, Linlithgow, Bathgate, Queensferry, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Musselburgh, Prestonpans, North Berwick, Dunbar, Whitburn and Haddington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Lothian</span> Council area of Scotland

West Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Avon to the west and the Almond to the east. The modern council area occupies a larger area than the historic county. It was reshaped following local government reforms in 1975: some areas in the west were transferred to Falkirk; some areas in the east were transferred to Edinburgh; and some areas that had formerly been part of in Midlothian were added to West Lothian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berwickshire</span> Historic county in Scotland

Berwickshire is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the time of the county's formation in the twelfth century, but became part of England in 1482 after several centuries of swapping back and forth between the two kingdoms. After the loss of Berwick, Duns and Greenlaw both served as county town at different periods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musselburgh</span> Town in East Lothian, Scotland

Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, 5 miles (8 km) east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of 21,100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament House, Edinburgh</span> Former parliament building in Edinburgh, now housing the Supreme Courts of Scotland

Parliament House in the Old Town in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a complex of several buildings housing the Supreme Courts of Scotland. The oldest part of the complex was home to the Parliament of Scotland from 1639 to 1707, and is the world's first purpose-built parliament building. Located just off the Royal Mile, beside St Giles' Cathedral, Parliament House is also the headquarters of the Faculty of Advocates, the Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet, and the Society of Solicitors in the Supreme Courts of Scotland. Other buildings in the complex include the Advocates Library and the Signet Library. The entire complex is a Category A Listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haddington, East Lothian</span> Town in East Lothian, Scotland

The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about 17 miles east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the sixth or seventh century AD when the area was incorporated into the kingdom of Bernicia. The town, like the rest of the Lothian region, was ceded by King Edgar of England and became part of Scotland in the tenth century. Haddington received Burgh status, one of the earliest to do so, during the reign of David I (1124–1153), giving it trading rights which encouraged its growth into a market town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lothian Council</span>

East Lothian Council is one of the 32 local government councils in Scotland covering the East Lothian area. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, 22 councillors have been elected from 6 wards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chambers Institution</span> Municipal Building in Peebles, Scotland

The Chambers Institution is a municipal structure in the High Street in Peebles, Scotland. The structure, which was designed to accommodate a library, a museum, an art gallery and Peebles Burgh Hall, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Edinburgh Council</span> Local government body in Scotland

The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of 518,500 in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland.

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

Inverness Town House is a municipal building in the High Street, Inverness, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Inverness Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building.

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

Musselburgh Tolbooth is a municipal building in the High Street in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. The tolbooth, which was the headquarters of Musselburgh Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building. At right angles and attached to it is the Musselburgh Town House.

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

Linlithgow Burgh Halls is a municipal structure at The Cross, Linlithgow, Scotland. The complex includes the Town House, the former headquarters of Linlithgow Burgh Council, which is a Category A listed building. and the Old County Hall, the former headquarters of West Lothian County Council, which is a Category B listed building.

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

Prestonpans Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. The building, which is largely used as a community events venue, is a Category C listed building.

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

The Dunbar Town House, also known as Dunbar Tolbooth, is a municipal structure in the High Street in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. The building, which currently operates as a museum, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Buildings, Cupar</span> County building in Cupar, Scotland

County Buildings is a municipal structure in St Catherine Street in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The building, which was the meeting place of Fife County Council, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothian Chambers</span> County building in Edinburgh, Scotland

Lothian Chambers, formerly Midlothian County Buildings, is a municipal structure on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates the Consulate-General of France and the French Institute for Scotland, is a Category B listed building.

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

Lauder Town Hall is a municipal structure in the Market Place in Lauder, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the local registrar's office and as a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Buildings, Haddington</span> Courthouse in Haddington, Scotland

County Buildings is a municipal structure in Court Street, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of East Lothian County Council and was also used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Town Hall (LB34185)" . Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic Environment Scotland. "Haddington, Court Street, Town House (56578)". Canmore . Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. ↑ Winn, Christopher (2009). I never knew that about the Scottish. Ebury Press. ISBN   978-0091910242.
  4. 1 2 3 "Haddington Town House set to be free of scaffolding again at last". East Lothian Courier. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Haddington Town House". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Groome, Francis (1885). "Haddington". The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Haddington Burgh". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "Polish Army in East Lothian". East Lothian at War. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Royal Visits to Addington". John Gray Centre. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Gillon, Jack (2015). Haddington Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN   978-1445643847.
  11. ↑ "No. 17883". The Edinburgh Gazette . 16 December 1960. p. 751.
  12. ↑ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "£600,000 of work set to be carried out on Haddington Town House". East Lothian Courier. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Council Meeting Agenda". East Lothian Council. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Gillies, William George. "Midlothian Landscape". Art UK. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  16. ↑ McKay, Willian Darling. "Driving Cattle on the Salt Marshes". Art UK. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  17. ↑ Adam, Patrick William. "Gullane Links". Art UK. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  18. ↑ MacGeorge, William Stewart. "River with Trees and a Farm". Art UK. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
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.