Skip to Main Content

Buildings

Basic Site Details

St Andrews Town Hall
St Andrews
Fife
Scotland
St. Andrews\' (N.B.) Town Hall—A new town-hall has just been erected in St. Andrews from the designs of Mr. James A Hamilton, of Edinburgh, and forms one of the most interesting features of the fine old town, The structure is in the old Scotch baronial style, and along with the bold and picturesque effect of the style it combines all the convenience and appliances of modern art. The entrance corridor and staircase are capacious and imposing. The Council Hall is 38 feet in length, by 24 in breadth, and 18 in height. The Great Hall is 75 feet long, 36 feet broad, and 28 feet high. The lobby of this hall is divided into 11 compartments by large ribs, each having three highly-enriched pendants and massive corbelling. Each compartment is varied by a novel arrangement of flat and sloping planes surrounded by large mouldings, and in the centre of each, on a lozenge-shaped panel, is a shield charged with national emblems. The structure altogether measures about 130 feet by 90 feet. The external elevation is enriched with various shields, devices, and coats of arms. [Building News 31 May 1861 p447]

Building supervised by Peter Manuel from Playfair\'s office. Reconstruction by Pride & Walker cost £75,000

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:

Class classic

ClassificationOriginal ClassificationNotes
Town hallNot Known

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:

Str Add classic

AddressCurrent AddressNotes
South StreetYes
Queen's GardensYes

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:

event classic

Event TypeFromToNotes
Design exhibited1855Unclear why this design by Lyon was done so early
1857/021857/07Competition held (abortive)
Construction18581862
1886Rearrangement of police cells etc
Reconstruction19621969Dates vary with different cources

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.

design classic

PersonPartnership GroupRoleFromToNotes
James Tennant Lyon1855Design exhibited
James Anderson Hamilton18571862Won competition and executed job
John Milne1857Unsuccessful competition design
James Ross GillespieA1886Rearrangement of police cells etc
James ScottA1886Rearrangement of police cells etc - as assistant
Frank PrideBArchitect1969Reconstruction
Glen Lorimer PrideBArchitect1969Reconstruction
Walker & PrideBArchitect1969Reconstruction

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Child Structures

This structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details):

Child classic

NotesName
Above Council Chambers. See separate entry for new hall which may be on a separate site.St Andrews Masonic Lodge, No 25

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:

bio ref classic

AuthorYearTitlePartPublisherNotes
Pride, Glen L1999The Kingdom of Fife2nd EditionThe Rutland Pressp127
RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970
RSA1855717 - design by J T Lyon
St Andrews Town Hall2001Judges Jailors and Jumble Sales: the competition to build the St Andrews Town Hall, 1858-62

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:

period ref classic

Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Builder1859XVIIp 140
Building News1861VIIp 447
Builder1861XIXp 379

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:

arc ref classic

SourceNameCat NumberItem NameNotes
St Andrews University LibraryJames Gillespie and Scott ArchiveBundle no 641
Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register40695
Courtesy of Glen PrideInformation sent to DMWSent 2006 - gives date of reconstruction as 1962 but RIBA Directory gives 1969.