Tolbooth (Musselburgh)

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Old town hall of Musselburgh on the right in the picture behind the Tolbooth

The Tolbooth of Musselburgh is located in the Scottish town of Musselburgh in the East Lothian Council Area . In 1971 the building was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in the highest category A.

The Tolbooth was built in 1590 and is therefore older than the old town hall built next to it in the 1760s . Stone material from the Loretto Chapel was reused in the construction. There may have been an older Tolbooth at the site, which English troops under Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, destroyed in 1544. The tower, which dates from 1496, could go back to this building. In 1840 the Tolbooth was renovated.

description

The Tolbooth is located in the historic center of Musselburgh and runs along the High Street ( A199 ). It almost completely covers the flank of the town hall behind it. A three-story tower rises on the west side of the building. The two-winged entrance portal at the foot is designed with a round arch . A heavy crown that stretches across the entire width of the tower adorns the window above. If the masonry initially consists of stone blocks, only roughly hewn stone was used in the second tower section. Tower clocks with the year 1496 and 1883 point to the east and west. A massive cantilevered cornice runs around it, which, like the top section of the tower, has an octagonal floor plan. The seated, slate-covered hood tapers gradually and closes with a weather vane.

An entrance door on the first floor on the east side is accessible via an angled front staircase. The Tolbooth shares this with the town hall. Inside the three-story building, all the ceilings are vaulted . The premises include the assembly room of the Burghrates and various prison cells.

Individual evidence

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

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 56 '35.1 "  N , 3 ° 2' 55.2"  W.