Lerwick Town Hall

Lerwick Town Hall is a municipal building located in central Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland. It is protected as a Category A listed building.[1]

Lerwick Town Hall
Lerwick Town Hall
LocationLerwick
Coordinates60°9′16″N 1°8′46″W
Built1883
ArchitectAlexander Ross
Architectural style(s)Scottish Baronial style
Listed Building – Category A
Designated8 November 1974
Reference no.37256
Shown in Shetland

History

The building was commissioned during a period of expansion in Lerwick due to the wealth the herring industry brought.[2] A site on the north Hillhead was selected.[2] It was designed by architect Alexander Ross of Inverness in the Scottish Baronial style and builder John M. Aitken of Lerwick won the tender competition with a price of £3,240.[2] The foundation stone was laid by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to the isles on 24 January 1882.[2] That same evening Lerwick saw the first ever Up Helly Aa torchlight procession.[2] The building was officially opened by George Thoms, sheriff of Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, on 30 July 1883.[2]

The Corporation of Hamburg presented a stained glass window for the town hall in 1883[3] and the building was topped with a clock installed by Potts of Leeds in 1887.[4]

The town hall was the headquarters of Lerwick Town Council until 1975 and has been the home of the Shetland Islands Council since then.[5] The front steps, which had badly decayed, were replaced in spring 2008.[2]

Services

The town hall is used for functions such as marriages, wedding receptions, concerts, coffee mornings and evening events.[6]

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References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Lerwick Town hall, Hillhead and Charlotte Street, Including Lamp Standards, Gatepiers, Boundary Walls and Railings, Lerwick  (Category A) (LB37256)". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. "It cost £4,940 15/6d to build, now monument to civic splendour is 125 years old". The Shetland Times. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. "The Hamburg Window". Shetland Council. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. Potts, Michael (2006). Potts of Leeds – Five Generations of Clockmakers. Mayfield Books. p. 395. ISBN 0-9523270-8-2.
  5. "Shetland: a model for the future". The Shetland Times. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. "Welcome to Shetland Islands Council". shetland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
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