Municipal Buildings, Perth

The Municipal Buildings are a municipal facility at Nos. 1, 3 and 5 High Street, Perth, Scotland. The facility is a Category B listed building.[1]

Municipal Buildings
Municipal Buildings
Location	Perth
Coordinates	56.3971°N 3.4263°W
Built	1881
Architect	Andrew Heiton and Andrew Grainger Heiton
Architectural style(s)	Gothic Revival style
Listed Building – Category B
Designated	26 August 1977
Reference no.	LB39320
Shown in Perth and Kinross

History

The facility replaced the old city chambers which had been completed at the east end of the High Street close to the River Tay in 1696.[2][3] After the old city chambers became very dilapidated, civic leaders decided to procure new municipal buildings on the site of the old city chambers.[3]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the Earl of Kinnoull with full masonic honours in 1878.[3] The building was designed by Andrew Heiton and Andrew Grainger Heiton in the Gothic Revival style and completed in 1881.[4][5][6] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with six bays facing the High Street; the central section featured a gabled doorway on the ground floor; there was a tall window on the first floor with coat of arms and a turret above; there was also a slim tower at the south east corner of the building which was based on the design of the tower of the chapel at St. Mary's Monastery, Kinnoull, which had also been designed by Andrew Heiton.[2][7] The municipal buildings were badly damaged in a fire on 23 January 1895 and, although the fire-proof record room survived,[8] much had of the structure had to be rebuilt in a programme of works which was completed in 1896.[1]

The municipal buildings served as the headquarters of Perth Royal Burgh Council, until the council was replaced by Perth and Kinross District Council under the wider Tayside Regional Council in May 1975.[9] The buildings then remained the headquarters of Perth and Kinross District Council until the council moved across the road to new facilities in the former head office of General Accident at No. 2 High Street in 1984.[10]

The northern part of the building, which faced Tay Street, was developed for residential use in the late 1980s but the remainder of the property continued to be used by the council for administrative purposes until 2011.[11] In March 2020 the Council started a consultation on converting that part of the property that had been used for administrative purposes and which has been vacant since 2011, into a boutique hotel.[12]

References

1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Municipal Buildings, 1, 3, 5 High Street, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 Tay Street (One Continuous Design)  (Category B Listed Building) (LB39320)". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
2. "In pictures: Historic Perth". BBC. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
3. "Perth Burgh Chambers". Made in Perth. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
4. "Perth Municipal Buildings". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
5. "Perth, 1, 3 High Street, Municipal Buildings". Canmore. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
6. "Perth, 5 High Street, Municipal Buildings". Canmore. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
7. "St Marys Monastery, Kinnoull". Being Catholic. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
8. Marshall, David (30 November 1899). "Notes on the record room of the City of Perth". Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. p. 275. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
9. "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
10. "The Fair City of Perth: Application for City Status" (PDF). Perth and Kinross Council. 5 April 2010. p. 8. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
11. "Hotel plan for landmark Perth city centre building". The Courier. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
12. "1–5 High Street, Perth; Proposed reuse of former Council Chambers and Justice of the Peace Court within hotel development". Perth and Kinross Council. Retrieved 18 April 2020.