Kirkintilloch Town Hall

Construction

The building was opened in July 1906 and had cost £11,000 to build. It was paid for by public subscription.

Closure

After being found to be unsafe the Hall was closed on June 30, 2004 and has lain derelict ever since. It was closed by East Dunbartonshire Council in June 2004, largely due to the anticipated expense of restoring a building constructed of notoriously crumbling soft sandstone. In response the Kirkintilloch Town Hall Preservation Trust was established as a registered charity to preserve the Hall and restore it for community use. By 2011 the only visible progress was the demolitoion of a small extension to the Town Hall. In November 2010 rats were sighted inside the building and concerns were expressed that the hall could be infested with them. After the local newspaper asked East Dunbartonshire Council to see inside the building, the council turned down the request on the grounds of health and safety. Campsie and Kirkintilloch North councillor Charles Kennedy said that this showed how much the premises had deteriorated and called for their demolition. In December 2011 the Kirkintilloch Herald's request for access was granted and the paper reported on the buildings condition; parts of the ceiling on one side of the hall had fallen onto the floor and there was debris lying all around,lots of dampness and crumbling paintwork. East Dunbartonshire Council stated that extensive dry rot and general fabric deterioration were the main problems with the Hall.

Redevelopment

In the early summer of 2016 work began on the redevelopment of the hall into a centre for heritage, arts and culture; with work planned to be finished by summer 2017. In July 2016, and in the course of works being done as part of the redevelopment, a number of Roman items were discovered in the building's car park, including pottery and a nail.