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Banff Town House
Banff Town House
	The building in 2011
Location	34 Low Street, Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Coordinates	57°39′52″N 2°31′17″W / 57.66441°N 2.52144°W
Built	1767 (258 years ago) (steeple) ; 1797 (228 years ago) (town house)
Architect	John Adam (steeple); James Reid (town house)
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Category A
Official name	Low Street, Tolbooth Steeple
Designated	22 February 1972
Reference no.	LB22062
Listed Building – Category A
Official name	34 Low Street, Townhouse
Designated	22 February 1972
Reference no.	LB22063
	Shown in Aberdeenshire

Banff Town House is a municipal building in Low Street, Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The building, which is used as a customer service point and job centre, forms part of a complex consisting of a steeple, completed in 1767, which is a Category A listed building,^[1] and a town house, completed in 1797, which is also a Category A listed building.^[2]

History

The first municipal building in the town was a tolbooth which was built of the west side of Low Street, on the corner with Strait Path, in the early 16th century.^[3] After the tolbooth became dilapidated the burgh leaders decided to construct a new building, the steeple, on the east side of Low Street.^[3] There were strong objections from Rear-Admiral William Gordon, who was concerned that the steeple might collapse on his property, Carmelite House, located to the south.^[4]

The steeple was designed by John Adam in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone by a master mason, John Marr, and was completed in 1767.^[5]^[6] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with just one bay facing onto Low Street; the first stage involved a doorway with a cornice and a blind oculus above, the second stage incorporated a blind Diocletian window, the third stage involved a clock with a pediment, the fourth stage incorporated a round headed louvered opening and the fifth stage took the form of a hexagonal spire.^[1] The bell in the steeple was designed and cast by Lester and Pack of London.^[3]

In the late 18th century, the burgh leaders decided to augment the structure with a town house on a site to the north of the steeple. The town house was financed by public subscription and amounts subscribed included a donation of 100 guineas from the local member of parliament, Sir William Grant.^[3] The town house was designed by James Reid in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £1,700 and was completed in 1797.^[2] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Low Street; the central bay featured a doorway with a four-light rectangular window above; the building was fenestrated with sash windows in the other bays on the ground floor and in the bays on the first and second floors. Internally, the principal rooms were a reception room on the first floor and a ballroom on the second floor.^[3] There was also an office for the sheriffs' clerk and some prison cells.^[2]

The Banff Museum was established in the town house in 1828 but then relocated to Banff Academy in 1838.^[7] Following significant population growth, largely associated with the fishing industry, Banff became a police burgh with the town house as its headquarters in 1840.^[8] The town's mercat cross was moved several times before finding a permanent home on the Plainstones, the elevated stone pavement in front of the town house, in June 1900.^[9]^[10] A Russian cannon, captured at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War and presented to the town after the war, was relocated to the Plainstones in 1901.^[11]

The town house continued in the role of burgh headquarters for much of the 20th century^[12] and continued to be the meeting place of the enlarged Banff and Buchan District Council after it was formed in 1975.^[13]^[14] It ceased to be the local seat of government after the new unitary authority, Aberdeenshire Council, was formed in Aberdeen in 1996.^[15] However, it continued to serve as the local area office of the new council.^[16] An extensive programme of refurbishment works, which created improved facilities for the local customer service point and job centre, was completed by Morrison Construction at a cost of £1.75 million in July 2015.^[17]^[18]^[19]