Kirkintilloch Town Hall

Kirkintilloch Town Hall is a municipal building in Union Street in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland.[1] It is a category B listed building.[2][3]

Kirkintilloch Town Hall
Kirkintilloch Town Hall
LocationKirkintilloch
Coordinates55.9400°N 4.1582°W / 55.9400; -4.1582
Built1906
ArchitectWalker and Ramsay
Architectural style(s)Classical style
Listed Building – Category B
Designated28 May 2002
Reference no.48641
Shown in East Dunbartonshire

History

Early history
Kirkintilloch Town Hall in the early 1900s

The current building was commissioned to replace the old tolbooth in West High Street which had been completed in 1815.[4] After rapid industrial expansion and population growth in the local area, as well as a deterioration in the condition of the tolbooth,[4] civic leaders decided to procure a purpose-built town hall: the site they selected in Union Street had previously been occupied by a school.[5]

The new building was designed by Walker and Ramsay of Glasgow in the classical style.[2] Paid for by public subscription,[6] it cost £11,000 to build and opened in July 1906.[1] The design involved a symmetrical frontage with five bays along Union Street; the central section of three bays featured an unusual bowed triple-doorway on the ground floor with a frieze and cornice above; there were six tall narrow windows on the first floor.[2] The building was renovated in 1931 and extended in 1959.[2]

Closure and redevelopment

The building was closed by East Dunbartonshire Council on 30 June 2004,[7] largely due to the anticipated expense of restoring a building constructed of notoriously crumbling soft sandstone. In response, the Kirkintilloch Town Hall Preservation Trust was established as a registered charity to preserve the Hall and restore it for community use. In November 2010 rats were sighted inside the building and concerns were expressed that the hall could be infested with them.[8] After the local newspaper asked East Dunbartonshire Council to see inside the building, the council turned down the request on the grounds of health and safety. Campsie and Kirkintilloch North councillor Charles Kennedy said that this showed how much the premises had deteriorated and called for their demolition.[9] In December 2011 the Kirkintilloch Herald's request for access was granted and the paper reported on the building's condition; parts of the ceiling on one side of the hall had fallen onto the floor and there was debris lying all around, considerable dampness and crumbling paintwork. East Dunbartonshire Council stated that extensive dry rot and general fabric deterioration were the main problems with the Hall.[10]

In the early summer of 2016 work began on the redevelopment of the hall into a centre for heritage, arts and culture.[11][12] In July 2016, and in the course of works being done as part of the redevelopment, a number of Roman items were discovered in the building's car park, including pottery and a nail.[13] The hall was officially reopened in November 2018.[14]

References
  1. "Kirkintilloch Town Hall (Former), SCT Ref No 1295, Dunbartonshire (East)". Buildingsatrisk.org.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Street, Kirkintilloch Town Hall  (Category B Listed Building) (LB48641)". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  3. "Union Street, Kirkintilloch Town Hall - Kirkintilloch - East Dunbartonshire - Scotland". British Listed Buildings. 2002-05-28. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  4. "Kirkintilloch, 3, 5 West High Street, Town Steeple". Canmore. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  5. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1898. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  6. Kirkintilloch Townhall Preservation Trust. "Kirkintilloch Townhall Preservation Trust". Lenzie.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  7. "Fury over town hall clearance - Local Headlines". Kirkintilloch Herald. 2004-07-13. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  8. "Rats invade town hall? - Local Headlines". Kirkintilloch Herald. 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  9. "Tear down Kirkintilloch Town Hall – it's just not safe, claims councillor - Local Headlines". Kirkintilloch Herald. 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  10. "Can run-down Kirkintilloch Town Hall really be saved? - Local Headlines". Kirkintilloch Herald. 2011-12-27. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  11. "Work starts to rejuvenate iconic town hall". www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  12. "Work about to get underway on town hall - section of Union Street near Cowgate will be closed". www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  13. News, B. B. C. "Roman artefacts discovered at Kirkintilloch Town Hall". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  14. Alan.Muir (2018-11-16). "Award-winning town hall officially open again after regeneration project". www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
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