Tolbooth (Kirkcudbright)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tolbooth by Kirkcudbright

The former Tolbooth of Kirkcudbright is located in the center of the Scottish town of Kirkcudbright in the Council Area Dumfries and Galloway . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A.

description

The Tolbooth goes back to a previous structure that was demolished in 1570. Construction of the current building began shortly after 1580. It is on the High Street not far from Tower House MacLellan's Castle . The Tolbooth has been revised three times over the centuries, in 1591, 1625 and 1751. The masonry of the three-story building is made of rubble , with openings partly lined with red sandstone . It closes with a tower on the east side. The north-facing facade along the High Street is designed asymmetrically. The irregularly arranged windows of different sizes reflect the different construction phases. A central opening with a segmented arch has meanwhile been closed with masonry. A plaque with the inscription " Royal Burgh of Kircudbrightshire 1455–1755" is embedded above it . The slit windows below the roof go back to the use of the second floor as a prison.

The final tower on the east side was built in several phases, including 1625 and 1751. It has a square base with an edge length of 4.7 m and a height of 19.8 m. The masonry is 1.2 m thick. The tower is accessible via an entrance portal on the first floor, to which a staircase leads up. The portal once closed with a segmented arch, which today, like a window above, is filled with masonry. In the second section there is a tower clock and an ogival opening. On top of it sits a cantilevered reinforcement with machiculi and simple, pyramid-shaped points at the corners. The seated cone-shaped helmet closes with a weather vane . This is designed as a ship and is reminiscent of the Battle of Trafalgar . A bell hung inside bears the inscription “Deo Gloria Michael burgerhoys me fecit 1646”.

Individual evidence

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

Web links

Coordinates: 54 ° 50 ′ 7.6 ″  N , 4 ° 3 ′ 20.5 ″  W.