Peterhead Town House

[1] The first municipal building in Peterhead was a tolbooth on the corner of Longate and Brook Lane: it was erected on land gifted by George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal, and was completed in around 1600.

[3][4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing down Broad Street; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward and was pedimented, originally featured an external staircase to the first floor; there was a tower above with a square shaped base, followed by a clock, a belfry and then a spire.

[2] A horse-drawn fire engine was installed on the ground floor at the north end of the town house in March 1861.

[7] A two-storey pedimented porch, which was designed and built by William Stuart with the intention of enclosing the external staircase, was added to the front of the building in 1881,[2] replacing the original steps.

[11] In January 2020, following the award of a grant from Aberdeenshire Council, a team of consultants were appointed to explore options for bringing the building fully back into use.

The rear of the building, viewed from Tolbooth Wynd