Renfrew Town Hall

Renfrew Town Hall is a municipal facility at The Cross, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of the royal burgh of Renfrew, is a Category A listed building.[1]

Renfrew Town Hall
Renfrew Town Hall
LocationRenfrew
Coordinates55.8789°N 4.3873°W / 55.8789; -4.3873
Built1873
ArchitectJames Jamieson Lamb and Baillie James Barr Lamb
Architectural style(s)French Gothic style
Listed Building – Category A
Designated14 October 1994
Reference no.LB40430
Shown in Renfrewshire

History

The original town hall on the site was built in 1670; it was expanded with the construction of a new wing, creating a public hall on the ground floor and council chambers on the first floor, in 1826.[2] However, after civic leaders decided that it was "very inadequate for any large public meeting or entertainment" and that "it was besides uncomfortable", the old town hall was demolished to make way for a new building.[3]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid with full masonic honours by the local member of parliament, Colonel Archibald Campbell, on 13 April 1872.[3] It designed by James Jamieson Lamb and Baillie James Barr Lamb in the French Gothic style, built at a cost of £7,500 and officially opened by Campbell on 17 October 1873.[3] Following a serious fire on 6 March 1878, it was completely rebuilt in a very similar style but with a taller spire.[3] The design involved an asymmetrical frontage with four bays facing Hairst Street; the left hand section of three bays featured a pair of gothic doors flanked by pairs of gothic widows on either side; there was a balcony and row of gothic windows on the first floor; the right hand bay featured a doorway with the burgh coat of arms in the gable head and a prominent 105 feet (32 m) high clock tower with bartizans.[1][4] Internally, the principal rooms were the council chambers and the town clerk's office on the ground floor and the public hall on the first floor.[3] Plasterwork bosses bearing the coats of arms of the burgh, the Bruce family and the Stewart family were installed in the public hall.[3]

The building was the seat of government of the royal burgh of Renfrew[5] until it was replaced by Renfrew District under the wider Strathclyde Regional Council in May 1975.[6] The district council was abolished in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, and the building ceased to be a seat of government.[7] Instead the town is represented by a community council, which meets in town hall.[8]

After a programme of restoration works costing £5.2 million supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund,[9] creating modern accommodation for the Renfrew Museum which had previously been based in the Brown Institute in Canal Street, the town hall was officially reopened as a visitor attraction by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, on 18 January 2012.[10][11][12]

References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "The Cross, Renfrew Town Hall  (Category A Listed Building) (LB40430)". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  2. "Renfrew Town Hall". Canmore. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. O'Connor, Susan (2017). "Architecture, power and ritual in Scottish town halls, 1833-1973" (PDF). University of Bath. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  4. "The Town Hall". Renfrew - The Royal Burgh. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. "Renfrew". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  6. "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. "Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994". Legislation.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  8. "Renfrewshire Community Website – Renfrew meetings". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
  9. "Town hall revamp a step cloer this week". The Gazette. 24 September 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  10. "Renfrew Town Hall and Museum". What's on Renfrewshire. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. "Renfrew Town Hall". Clyde Waterfront. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  12. "Renfrew Town Hall". Paisley Online. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
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