Hamilton Townhouse is a building in Cadzow Street in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which is operated by South Lanarkshire Council. It contains both the town's main public hall (formerly known as Hamilton Town Hall) and public library, as well as various council departments including licensing and community learning. It is a Category B listed building.[1]
The first town house in Hamilton, which contained the council chamber, the courthouse and the jail, was built adjoining the old tolbooth at the junction of Castle Street and Palace Grounds Road and was completed in 1798.[2][lower-alpha 1] The council considered making alterations to the ageing tolbooth and town house complex in 1860,[2] but in the event decided to augment their facilities with a new public hall, known as the "town hall" at New Cross (now the corner of Duke Street and Quarry Street) in 1861.[3][lower-alpha 2]
After the condition of the town hall at New Cross also deteriorated, civic leaders decided to procure a purpose-built complex which combined the functions of council chamber and public hall in one place: the site they selected was open land at the corner of Cadzow Street and Lower Auchingramomt Road.[4]
The new building, although appearing to be one, was actually built in stages over a 21-year period. The library section of the complex was designed by Alexander Cullen (1856–1911) and opened by Andrew Carnegie in 1907.[5][6] The adjacent townhouse offices were designed by Cullen Lochhead and Brown and officially opened by King George V on 9 July 1914.[7] The town hall was also designed by Cullen Lochhead and Brown and completed in 1928.[1]
The design involved a symmetrical frontage with seventeen bays facing Cadzow Street with the end bays, each with domed octagonal towers, projecting forward; the central section featured a wide doorway flanked by Doric order columns and pilasters on the ground floor; there was a wrought-iron balcony and a tall round-headed window flanked by Ionic order pilasters on the first floor with a segmental pediment above containing a carved coat of arms.[1] Internally, the principal room was the main public hall with seating capacity for 700 people.[8]
The townhouse was the seat of local government for the burgh of Hamilton and the successor district of same name[9] while the Lanark County Buildings nearby in Almada Street served the wider Lanarkshire County, followed by the Lanark sub-region under Strathclyde following a reorganisation of administrative structures across the country in 1975.[10][11] In 1996, new single-level council areas of Scotland were created to provide services previously controlled by regions and districts, and it was the County Buildings that became the headquarters for the new local body, South Lanarkshire Council.[12]
In 2002, each section of the townhouse was closed to enable the building to undergo a regeneration project, costing £9 million, to proceed.[7] This was required to bring the internal facilities to current standards and restore the crumbling stone exterior of the building.[7] The restored facility was made available to the public in August 2004[13][14] and an official opening by Princess Anne took place in September 2004.[7][15] The library has won two awards: the "Architect Meets Practicality Award" for libraries of significant architectural interest that are practical and user-friendly and the "Mary Finch Accessibility Award" for the library which most addresses access issues from physical through to cultural barriers.[7] The restoration was also recognised with a Scottish Civic Trust commendation.[16]
Hamilton is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Glasgow, 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Edinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north of Carlisle. It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton is the county town of the historic county of Lanarkshire and is the location of the headquarters of the modern local authority of South Lanarkshire.
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and West Lothian. It includes most of the historic county of Lanarkshire.
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark, is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. The county is no longer used for local government purposes, but gives its name to the two modern council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
Lanark is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9,050.
Strathaven is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is 7.5 kilometres south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the east of the town.
South Lanarkshire Council is the unitary authority serving the South Lanarkshire council area in Scotland. The council has its headquarters in Hamilton, has 16,000 employees, and an annual budget of almost £1bn. The large and varied geographical territory takes in rural and upland areas, market towns such as Lanark, Strathaven and Carluke, the urban burghs of Rutherglen, Cambuslang, and East Kilbride which was Scotland's first new town. The area was formed in 1996 from the areas of Clydesdale, Hamilton and East Kilbride districts, and some outer areas of Glasgow district ; all were previously within the Strathclyde region from 1975 but in historic Lanarkshire prior to that.
Hamilton was a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996, lying to the south-east of the regional capital Glasgow.
Motherwell Civic Centre is a municipal building in Windmillhill Street in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which is the headquarters of North Lanarkshire Council, is a Category B listed building.
Motherwell Town Hall is a municipal facility in Hamilton Road, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw Council, is a Category C listed building.
Airdie Town House is a municipal building in Bank Street, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town house, which was the headquarters of Airdrie Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
Irvine Townhouse is a municipal building in the High Street, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The townhouse, which was the headquarters of Irvine Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
The Municipal Buildings are based on the north side of Buccleuch Street, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The structure, which was the headquarters of Dumfries Burgh Council, is a Category C listed building.
The Town Buildings, also known as the Municipal Buildings, are in Fore Street, Port Glasgow, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Port Glasgow Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building.
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.
The Lanark County Buildings, also referred to as the South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters, is a local government facility in Hamilton, Scotland.
Strathaven Public Hall, also referred to as the Old Town Hall, Strathaven, is a municipal building in Kirk Street, Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The structure, which serves as a scout and guide centre, is a Category C listed building.
Hamilton Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Almada Street, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which continues to serve as the local courthouse, is a Category A listed building.
Lanark Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Hope Street, Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which continues to serve as the local courthouse, is a Category B listed building.
Lanark Tolbooth is a municipal building in Hope Street, Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which now operates as an arts and heritage centre, is a Category B listed building.
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.
