Publication Account

Date 1995

Event ID 1018974

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018974

A two-storeyed red ashlar building with three-bayed front, it is a monument to the civic pride of Cumnock. The town had long felt the lack of a public meeting hall; halls connected with the school, the United Presbyterian Church, the Black Bull Hotel and the Dumfries Arms had all served in this capacity. Although the Marquess of Bute provided the site and a sum of £500 towards its construction, public subscriptions raised over £2,000; a concert and ball, prior to the opening on 7 January 1885, raised a further £70; and the shortfall was made up by a bazaar held in 1896. Fittingly, in front of it is Benno Schotz' fine bust of Keir Hardie, 1939, Cumnock's famous son.

Information from ‘Historic Cumnock: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1995).