County Buildings, Forfar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids County Buildings |
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County Buildings, Forfar
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| Location | Market Street, Forfar |
| Built | 1843 |
| Architect | David Smith |
| Architectural style(s) | Scottish baronial style |
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Listed Building – Category C(S)
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| Official name: County Offices, Market Street (original section only) | |
| Designated | 15 January 1980 |
| Reference no. | LB31610 |
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The County Buildings is an important old building in Market Street, Forfar, Scotland. It used to be the main office for the local government in the area, like the Angus County Council. Today, it's still a special building and is protected as a Category C listed building.
Contents
Building History: From Prison to Offices
The story of County Buildings starts with an old prison. Before this building, prisoners in Forfar were kept in a medieval building called a tolbooth. This old prison was torn down in 1788. Prisoners then moved to cells behind the new Forfar Town and County Hall.
However, in 1841, people checking the prisons said the Forfar prison was too small and not very good. So, a new prison building was planned. It was decided to build it on Market Street, in the north part of town.
Designing the New Prison
The new prison was designed by an architect named David Smith. He used a style called Scottish baronial architecture. This style often looks like old Scottish castles, with towers and battlements. The building was made from ashlar stone, which means the stones were cut very smoothly.
The prison was finished in 1843. It had a grand front with thirteen sections facing Market Street. The parts at each end were three stories tall. They had battlements (like castle walls) and small turrets (towers) at the corners. The middle section was also three stories high.
Becoming Council Headquarters
In 1871, the local court, called the sheriff court, moved to a new building nearby. Because of this, the prison building was changed into offices in 1883. An architect named John Carver designed these changes. The old gatehouse of the prison was taken down in 1884.
A big change happened in 1889. A new law, the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, created official county councils across Scotland. The new Forfarshire County Council chose this former prison building as its main office. It then became known as the County Buildings.
The building stayed the main office for the county council. In 1928, the council changed its name to Angus County Council.
County Buildings Today
The County Buildings continued to be important for local government. In May 1975, it became the main office for the Angus District Council.
Later, in 1994, another law changed how local government worked in Scotland. This led to the creation of a new unitary authority called Angus Council in 1996. The County Buildings then became the offices for this new council.
See also
- List of listed buildings in Forfar, Angus
