Town Buildings, Port Glasgow
| Town Buildings, Port Glasgow | |
|---|---|
 Town Buildings, Port Glasgow | |
| Location | Fore Street, Port Glasgow |
| Coordinates | 55°56′05″N 4°41′15″W / 55.9348°N 4.6874°W |
| Built | 1816 |
| Architect | David Hamilton |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | Fore Street, Former Municipal Buildings |
| Designated | 28 January 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB40071 |
  Shown in Inverclyde | |
The Town Buildings, also known as the Municipal Buildings, are in Fore Street, Port Glasgow, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Port Glasgow Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building.[1]
History[edit]
The first municipal building in the town, which was originally known as Newark, was a tolbooth, which was completed in the late 17th century.[2] Following significant population growth, largely associated with the status of Port Glasgow as a seaport, the area became a police burgh in 1803.[3] By that time, the tolbooth had become dilapidated and the burgh commissioners decided to raise money, by public subscription, to erect a new structure.[2][4]
The new building was designed by David Hamilton in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £12,000 and was completed in December 1816.[2][5][6] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing northwest along Fore Street; the central section of three bays featured a full-height tetrastyle portico with Doric order columns supporting an entablature and a central roundel which was flanked by volutes and contained the town's coat of arms.[2] The outer bays were fenestrated with sash windows and flanked by full-height pilasters supporting an entablature and a balustrade.[2] At roof level, there was a central three stage tower, with round headed windows and Ionic order columns in the first stage, an octagonal piece with clock faces in the second stage and a belfry in the third stage.[2] The tower was surmounted by a spire, which was 150 feet (46 m) high, and a weather vane.[2] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber, which had a coffered and vaulted ceiling; the building also contained courtrooms and a series of prison cells.[2]
Alterations to the town building were carried out in the early 1860s,[2]and, although a new public hall was commissioned as a venue for civic events in Princes Street in the early 1870s,[7][2] the Fore Street building remained the offices of the council officers and their departments.[2] A new bell, cast by James Duff and Sons of Greenock, was installed in the belfry in 1879.[2]
The town buildings continued to serve as the headquarters of Port Glasgow Burgh Council,[8] but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Inverclyde District Council was formed in 1975.[9] After the building had stood empty for twelve years and had become seriously dilapidated, an extensive programme of refurbishment works was completed in August 1996.[10] The works involved the removal of the rear wall, which had originally been harled, and the erection of a modern extension.[10] These changes allowed the ground floor of the building to be used as a public library,[11] and the first floor to become offices for a public body, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited.[12][13] Following further works, which included the reconfiguration of the library space and the creation of a new atrium, the building re-opened in August 2021.[14]
See also[edit]
- List of Category A listed buildings in Inverclyde
- List of listed buildings in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde
References[edit]
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Fore Street, Former Municipal Buildings (LB40071)". Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Historic Environment Scotland. "Fore Street Town Buildings (79729)". Canmore. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Port Glasgow Burgh". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Municipal Corporations in Scotland. House of Lords. 1835. p. 335.
- ^ "Port Glasgow". Gazetteer of Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Town Hall". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Port Glasgow: history". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "No. 19274". The Edinburgh Gazette. 10 July 1973. p. 808.
the Town Clerk's Office, Town Buildings, Port Glasgow
- ^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Municipal Buildings in Port Glasgow". Inspiration Detail. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Port Glasgow Library". Designing Libraries. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Municipal Buildings, Port Glasgow". Public Contracts Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Revamp for historic Port Glasgow town building". Greenock Telegraph. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Port Glasgow Library reopens after revamp". Greenock Telegraph. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.