Midsteeple

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Midsteeple

The Midsteeple is the former town hall of the Scottish city ​​of Dumfries in the Council Area Dumfries and Galloway . In 1961, the building was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A.

history

At the beginning of the 18th century it was decided to replace the old town hall with a new building. Construction of the Midsteeple to a design by Liverpool architect John Moffat began in 1705. Originally James Smith was to be entrusted with the planning, but he could not take on the project due to other obligations. The work that lasted until 1707 was carried out by the stonemason Tobias Bachup from Alloa . The nearby predecessor structure was demolished around 1719. Only the prison survived until the late 18th century.

The Midsteeple has been redesigned and modernized several times over the centuries. Most recently in 1909 by James Barbour . In the early 20th century the building was no longer used as a town hall. Shops were set up on the ground floor and workshops were set up on the upper floors. The interior was described as derelict in 1970.

description

The three-story building is located on High Street near Trades Hall in the city center. It has an elongated floor plan with sides of around 10.2 m and 5.8 m. A bell tower adjoins the north-west side. This rises from a square base with a side length of about 5.2 m. It towers over the former town hall by three floors, optically separated by cornices . The tower closes with a curved hood with a weather vane .

The masonry consists of red sandstone blocks that were built into layers of masonry with an average thickness of around 1.4 m. The corner stones are rusticated . The entrance is on the first floor on the southeast side. It is accessible via a staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade that runs along the outer wall . The portal with pilasters closes with a frieze and cornices . It dates from 1909 and its design roughly follows the original plans. In the middle of the facade are two coats of arms.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b c Entry on Midsteeple  in Canmore, the Historic Environment Scotland database (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 4 ′ 7.7 ″  N , 3 ° 36 ′ 38.8 ″  W.