Penicuik Town Hall

Last updated

Penicuik Town Hall
Penicuik Town Hall (geograph 2989325).jpg
Penicuik Town Hall
LocationHigh Street, Penicuik
Coordinates 55°49′35″N3°13′14″W / 55.8264°N 3.2206°W / 55.8264; -3.2206 Coordinates: 55°49′35″N3°13′14″W / 55.8264°N 3.2206°W / 55.8264; -3.2206
Built1894
Architect Campbell Douglas
Architectural style(s) Renaissance Revival style
Listed Building – Category C(S)
Official nameHigh Street, Council Offices (former Cowan Institute)
Designated9 March 2000
Reference no.LB46821
Midlothian UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Midlothian

Penicuik Town Hall, formerly the Cowan Institute, is a municipal building in the High Street, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Penicuik Burgh Council, is a Category C listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The building was the initiative of the owner of the local papermaking business at Valleyfield Mills, Alexander Cowan, who left money for the purpose of establishing an institution for the "recreation and instruction" of the local community. [2] Although Cowan had died in 1859, it was not until the early 1890s that his son, Charles Cowan, who was the local Member of Parliament, invited his niece's husband, Campbell Douglas, an established architect, to prepare a plans for the building. [3] The site they chose for the new building was occupied by a row of domestic properties. [4]

The new building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style, built in red sandstone at a cost of £5,000 and was completed in 1894. [5] [6] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with six bays facing onto the High Street; the second bay from the left featured a doorway surmounted by a heraldic panel and flanked by two small stained glass windows; above the doorway were the crests of Scotland, England and Ireland, separated by brackets which supporting a balcony; there was a three-light window on the first floor and a gable containing a small window above. [1] The third bay from the left, which slightly projected forward, contained a panel, which inscribed with the year 1893, and was surmounted by an octagonal tower with a dome. [1] The right hand section, which incorporated more regular fenestration, included an ogee-shaped doorway in the third bay from the right. [1] Internally, the principal rooms were an assembly hall, a library, a gymnasium and a museum. [2] [7]

Three baths were added in 1900 and a projecting clock, similar in style to that on the Canongate Tolbooth, was added in 1901. [1] The building was used as accommodation for young soldiers serving at Glencorse Barracks during both the First World War and the Second World War. [2] In July 1936 a tradition was established whereby, in the last week of May each year, a local couple would be selected in the building to be the local hunter and hunter's lass: apparently when Robert the Bruce granted land in the local area to the Clerk family, he insisted that, whenever Kings or Queens of Scotland hunt in the local area, the appointed hunter must attend the gathering and give three blasts on a bugle. [8]

The trustees of the institute sold the building to Penicuik Burgh Council in 1959 [lower-alpha 1] and, after it had been treated for dry rot, it re-opened as the local town hall in 1963. [2] However, it ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Midlothian District Council was formed in 1975. [10] The building was subsequently used as the registrar's office and also as a venue for district court hearings. [2] After the council indicated that the building might be surplus to its requirements, the Penicuik Community Development Trust was formed in March 2005 to ensure the building remained open and fully utilised. [11] In late 2020 a programme of works was initiated to restore the outside of the building, to modernise the heating system and to install Wi-Fi equipment. [12]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Burgh Council had previously been based in the Municipal Buildings in Bog Road, Penicuik. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penicuik</span> Town in Midlothian, Scotland

Penicuik is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills.

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

Greenock Municipal Buildings is a municipal structure in Clyde Square, Greenock, Scotland. The municipal buildings, which are the headquarters of Inverclyde Council, are Category A listed.

<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">Barrhead Burgh Hall</span> Municipal Building in Barrhead, Scotland

Barrhead Burgh Hall, also known as Barrhead Burgh Court Hall and Burgh Chambers and as the James McGuire Building, is a municipal complex in Main Street, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The complex was the headquarters of Barrhead Burgh Council. It consists of two distinct buildings separated by an iron gate: Barrhead Burgh Court Hall, which is a Category C listed building, and, Barrhead Burgh Chambers, which is also a Category C listed building, although, as a group, they are listed at Category B.

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

Prestwick Burgh Hall, also known as Prestwick Freeman's Hall and Prestwick Freemen's Hall, is a municipal building in Kirk Street, Prestwick, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Prestwick Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Buildings, Dalkeith</span> Municipal Building in Dalkeith, Scotland

The Municipal Buildings are based in Buccleuch Street in Dalkeith, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Dalkeith Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.

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

Saltcoats Town Hall is a municipal building in Countess Street, Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The building, which is used by North Ayrshire Council as hub for the delivery of local services, is a Category B listed building.

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

Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall is a former municipal structure in High Street in Elie and Earlsferry, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as an events venue, is Category B listed.

<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">Municipal Buildings, Dumbarton</span> Municipal building in Dumbarton, Scotland

Dumbarton Municipal Buildings is a structure in Glasgow Road, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, is a Category B 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">Dysart Tolbooth and Town House</span> 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">Kinghorn Town Hall</span> 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.

<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">Dreel Halls</span> Municipal building in Anstruther, Scotland

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, and the former Anstruther Wester Town Hall, which is a Category C 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">Kirkwall Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Kirkwall, Scotland

Kirkwall Town Hall is a municipal building in Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.

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

Coldstream Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Coldstream, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which currently accommodates a library and a registration office, is a Category B listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, Council Offices (former Cowan Institute) (LB46821)" . Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Cowan Institute". Penicuik Papermaking, 300th Anniversary. Penicuik Historical Society. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Cowan Institute". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1894. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. ↑ The Cowan Institute. The Builder. 29 December 1894. p. 478.
  6. ↑ "Penicuik". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Hanson, Liz (2015). Midlothian Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN   978-1445634913.
  8. ↑ "History". Penicuik Hunter and Lass. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Donald, Sir Robert (1961). The Municipal Year Book and Public Utilities Directory. Municipal Journal.
  10. ↑ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Trust". Penicuik Community Development Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Penicuik Town Hall cash welcomed". Midlothian Advertiser. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 1 August 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.