Inverurie Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Inverurie Town Hall |
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Inverurie Town Hall
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| Location | Market Place, Inverurie |
| Built | 1863 |
| Architect | John Russell Mackenzie |
| Architectural style(s) | Baroque style |
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Listed Building – Category B
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| Official name: Inverurie Town Hall, Market Place | |
| Designated | 16 April 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB35399 |
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Inverurie Town Hall is a special building in the heart of Inverurie, Scotland. It's located in the Market Place. For many years, this building was where the local council, called the Inverurie Burgh Council, met to make important decisions for the town. It's also a 'Category B listed building', which means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of Inverurie Town Hall
The First Town Building
The very first town building in Inverurie was a place called a tolbooth. It was built way back in 1660. A tolbooth was a building used for local government and sometimes had a prison. This old building had two floors. The ground floor was a prison, and the first floor was where the town council met. It was updated in the early 1800s.
Building the New Town Hall
In the mid-1800s, the town leaders decided to take down the old tolbooth. They wanted to build a brand new, bigger building in the same spot. A talented architect named John Russell Mackenzie designed the new building. He used a fancy style called Baroque style. The building was made from strong grey granite. It officially opened its doors on July 9, 1863.
The new design was very balanced and grand. It had a main front with seven sections facing the Market Place. The sections on each end stuck out a bit. In the middle, there was a round-shaped door with a special fan-shaped window above it. Above that, on the first floor, was a niche, which is a shallow alcove in the wall. The building also had tall, decorative columns called pilasters and a fancy railing on the roof called a balustrade. A beautiful central tower, known as a cupola, held a bell made in Glasgow.
Changes and Events Over Time
Over the years, Inverurie Town Hall saw many interesting things happen.
- In 1882, a famous missionary and cyclist named Ion Keith-Falconer gave a talk there. He spoke about his amazing bike ride across Britain, from Land's End to John o' Groats, which he completed in just 13 days!
- In 1911, the building was made bigger on the west side. This was to add a Carnegie library, which was a public library funded by the wealthy businessman Andrew Carnegie. This new part changed the original balanced look of the building.
- Sadly, in 1929, a big fire badly damaged the town hall. But it was quickly repaired the next year by an architect named George Gray.
- During the Second World War, the town hall played an important role. A siren on the building was used to warn people about air raids.
Later Use of the Building
The town hall continued to be the main office for the local council for most of the 1900s. Even when a larger council, called the Gordon District Council, was formed in 1975, the town hall was still used for meetings for a short time. However, in 1982, the new council moved its offices to a different building.
In 1999, the town hall was the place where a very special event happened. A 12-year-old girl, who would later become the famous singer and songwriter Emeli Sandé, attended an audition there. This audition was organized by the local council, Aberdeenshire Council, to find new music talent.
See also
