Kirriemuir, 31 High Street, Town House

NO35SE 14 38565 53906.

The Town House of Kirriemuir was erected in 1604, and was a plain building with walls 9' thick. Repairs and alterations were made to it in 1835 and 1862-3 (Stirton 1896). It has been altered to serve as a shop, but the original form is still visible at the rear with plain walls and rounded corners.

J Stirton 1896; A Reid 1909.

NO 3856 5390: This small building has been completely refaced with modern ashlar work, and except for portions of early-looking masonry in the S and E walls, the structure is quite unimposing. It is a single-storeyed building with a small short tower at the W side.

Visited by OS (JLD) 12 September 1958.

An extended watching brief was undertaken on town centre enhancements. Wall foundations were uncovered on the N side of the Tolbooth which probably represent the remains of a former external stairway leading to the upper story of the building. Such an arrangement is depicted in a carving on the town baton.

A very large, partly dressed, red sandstone block had been removed from beside the foundations. It measured 0.89m by 0.66m by 0.75m and had a smooth top surface. Some mortar adhered to the lower surfaces. On the upper smooth surface was the badly corroded stump of an iron projection and what appeared to be a socket hole for another. Such a stone could have functioned as the base for a steelyard which was known to have been located in front of the townhouse.

Sponsor: Scottish Enterprise Tayside.

R Cachart 1994i.

NO 385 539 In March 2000 an analytical survey of the Town House (NMRS NO35SE 14) was undertaken in advance of its refitting and conversion into a heritage centre.

A desk-based review uncovered evidence of at least three phases of major structural change to the original 17th-century building during the 19th century, with more minor changes in the 20th century. The Town House, which functioned as the centre of local government as well as a jail, stands in the historic core of Kirriemuir. It was built in 1604 and is a two-storey sandstone building. It was repaired and altered in the 1830s, 1862-3 (when it was refaced in ashlar), and 1896. The latter alterations related to its being taken over by the Post Office. Recently it has functioned as a shop.

A limited excavation was undertaken on the ground floor as a gap (c 2.5 x 1m) was encountered in a paved floor surface. This uncovered evidence of a demolition phase and a sequence of probable floor deposits dating to the first years of the 19th century or earlier. During the survey, foundation remains probably pertaining to the original 17th-century structure were encountered. (SUAT KM05).

Sponsor: Angus Council.

R Cachart 2000

Architect: O. & L. Ower

John Carver (remodelled 1862)