By the late 18th century, it was dilapidated and the burgh leaders decided to petition the Secretary of State for War, Henry Dundas, whose seat was at Melville Castle, for his support to finance a new building.

It was designed by a local mason, John Speed, built in ashlar stone, and was completed in 1810.

[3][4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto the High Street.

A bell, cast at the London foundry of Mears and Stainbank, was installed in the belfry in 1859 and a new flight of entrance steps, flanked by wrought iron balustrades, was added to the front of the building in 1888.

[2] A new municipal building, referred to as Newburgh Town Hall, was erected with financial support of a businessman from Musselburgh, John Livingstone, on a site just to the west of the town house in 1888,[5][a] and a library building, named the Laing Library, was erected with financial support from a local bank agent, Alexander Laing, on a site on the north side of the High Street, 100 yards (91 m) to the west of the town house, in 1896.