| Prestwick Burgh Hall | |
|---|---|
 Prestwick Burgh Hall in 2004 before the steeple was dismantled | |
| Location | Kirk Street,Prestwick |
| Coordinates | 55°30′08″N4°36′38″W / 55.5021°N 4.6105°W /55.5021; -4.6105 |
| Built | 1837 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival style |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | Old Burgh Chambers (now County Council District Office) |
| Designated | 14 April 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB40329 |
  Shown in South Ayrshire | |
Prestwick Burgh Hall, also known asPrestwick Freeman's Hall andPrestwick Freemen's Hall, is a municipal building in Kirk Street,Prestwick, Scotland. The structure, which served as the meeting place of Prestwick Burgh Council, is a Category Blisted building.[1]
The first municipal building in Prestwick was an early 18th centurytolbooth.[2] The tolbooth was used as the offices and meeting place of the chancellor and the two bailies who administered the town: they were elected annually by the 36 freemen of the burgh who owned 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land in and around the town.[3] The current building was commissioned by the freemen of Prestwick for use as the local burgh school.[4][5][6] It was designed in theGothic Revival style, built inashlar stone and was completed in 1837.[7]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the corner of The Cross and Kirk Street; the central bay, which projected forward, featured a porch with an arched doorway and anoctagonal tower above. The tower was fenestrated with alancet window on the first floor and featured a clock face in the stage above which was surmounted by aspire. There were lancet windows in the outer bays. The ground floor was initially used as a prison and the first floor was used by the burgh school which accommodated some 60 children.[4]
By the late 19th century the burgh council had assumed most of the functions of the freemen and the building had become the burgh hall.[8] It continued in that use until the burgh council established the municipal buildings in Links Road in the late 1930s.[9][10] The former burgh hall was then acquired by Ayrshire County Council and became their local district offices.[1][11]
After the steeple was found to be structurally unsound, it was removed in 2011:[12] a firm of consultants advised that it should be rebuilt using new masonry and that the original stone should be used as template.[13] Although residents lobbied for it to be restoredSouth Ayrshire Council failed to attract support from theHeritage Lottery Fund, or any other charitable source, to carry out the necessary works.[14]