Throughout the 18th century there was a drive in many Scottish burghs towards improvements in public health, water supply, town planning and beautification. As part of this larger process many ruinous medieval tolbooths were pulled down and replaced by more elegant Town Houses. These usually incorporated a town hall where the gentry and the elite of burgh society could hold meetings and balls as well as housing Town Council offices and chambers. On 15 August 1759 Montrose Town Council received a petition from a number of noblemen who wished to start a subscription to build an assembly room. The petitioners often spent time in Edinburgh and had become accustomed to a higher standard of entertainment than Montrose could offer. The town's burgesses were keen to see improved facilities for entertainment too, being described as "mighty fine" and her merchants as "delicate". New tastes and fashion demanded an elegant meeting place in the Edinburgh style. The Town Council did not react swiftly to this petition. It took them 2 years to reply and only after the gentry who had been offended by the lack of an answer had reminded them. Provost James Bisset had to apologize for the town's forgetfulness. Bisset explained that the town had insufficient funds and would be unable to financially aid the scheme but they could donate a building plot to promote a project, which would benefit the honour and interest of Montrose.
The town and committee of subscribers had a meeting to establish that nothing inconsistent with the rules of decency and decorum was planned. It was agreed that the subscribers would raise £200 for the building and the fittings. The funds were to be held by James Coutts of the famous banking family.
The plan was to build a handsome public room with proper waiting and retiring rooms. These were to be built upon pillars with a handsome piazza underneath which would serve as a place for merchants and inhabitants to meet and transact business in the continental style. The Town Council presented a site adjacent to the market cross but which created difficulties in accessing the neighbouring Kirk yard. The difficulty was resolved by incorporating an arch wide enough to allow access for the funeral party. The site was granted on condition that the building was used by gentlemen for assemblies, balls and concerts and that the Council had the use of the room for meetings. No assemblies or balls were to be held on Saturdays, Fast Days and other religious days nor the whole week before communion. The Town House was intended to be an ornament and an asset to Montrose.
Plans did not run smoothly. James Scott of Brotherton owned the neighboring tenement that would be only 9ft from the new Town House. He raised an action to stop the Council from proceeding with the building work. Scott argued that it could not be allowed to encroach on a public street. The Town Council defended themselves by arguing that the site was an open space and that a trivial private inconvenience should not outweigh such a large public benefit. In the end Scott agreed to sell the property to the Town for the sum of £160. The tenement was later resold in 1763 to James Low, merchant, for the sum of £200. Excluded from the sale was a first floor room on the south side that was converted into a strong room to hold the towns' records. It was one of the earliest purpose built archives in Scotland.
The new Town House was designed by John Hutcheon, land surveyor, and completed in only 8 months. The original building consisted of a ground and upper floor with a covered piazza in the Italian style. The Town Clerk's office was on the ground floor along with a coffee room while the assembly room and the supper room/council rooms were on the upper floor along with a subscription library. Stones were quarried from a number of sources including Carnoustie and Aberlemno. The building was poorly constructed with the stones being laid incorrectly. This was to cause many problems in the future.
Within 60 years the Town House was too small for the growing number of functions, which was demanded of it. An extension was planned and built in 1820 with the financial aid of the Guildry. Part of the old churchyard was built over to provide two extra rooms, the courtroom on the first floor and the kitchen on the second floor. The covered portion of the graveyard remained intact. Ironically the new suite of offices created on the ground floor for the Town Clerk provided an excellent view of the graves of 2 former Town Clerks, Thomas Stewart and William Speid!
Further offices were created by dividing the old Assembly Room while the new top floor now became a large and elegant assembly room, with a card area screened off by double doors. The Town council's new meeting room doubled as the supper room at assemblies.
This process of change and re-use has continued until the present day with the Town House continuing to be used as local government offices and now housing the Access Office.
© Angus Council 1998 - 2009
