Arbuthnot House, formerly known as the Municipal Chambers, is a former municipal building on Broad Street in

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

in Scotland. The building, which was previously the meeting place of the burgh council, is Category B listed.

History

The building was commissioned as a private house by Robert Arbuthnot of Haddo-Rattray in the 18th century. The site he selected was at the east end of Broad Street facing

Peterhead Town House Peterhead Town House is a municipal structure in Broad Street (Peterhead), Broad Street, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The building, which was the headquarters of Peterhead Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building. History The firs ...

at the opposite end. The original house was quite simple in design and half the depth of the present structure. It was acquired by James Arbuthnot of Dens, a prosperous merchant, in 1768. The house was extensively remodelled in the early 19th century. The works were carried out in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

stone to a

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

and completed in 1805. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto Broad Street. The central bay featured a rusticated doorway with a keystone. The other bays on the ground floor and all bays on the first floor were fenestrated with

sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History ...

s. At roof level, there was a small gable containing a round headed attic window above the central bay. At the rear of the building there were bowed corners. Internally, the principal room was a two-storey galleried reception hall with

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

s at both ends. The building remained in residential use until Peterhead Burgh Council, which had previously been based at Peterhead Town House, relocated to the building shortly after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It served as the local seat of government for another two decades until the burgh council was abolished in 1975. The building was subsequently used to accommodate some departments of Banff and Buchan District Council, but, following the creation of the new unitary council,

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire Council is the local authority for Aberdeenshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since its creation in 1996. It is based at Woodhill House, which is outside its own territory ...

, in 1996, it became vacant and was boarded up in around 2020. It was subsequently placed on the

Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland records buildings of national architectural or historic interest which are considered to be under threat. The list is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The register was established in 1 ...

. In January 2024, Aberdeenshire Council revealed plans to restore the building and add an extension on its southern side. The proposals involve the relocation of the library service from its existing premises,

Arbuthnot Museum Arbuthnot Museum is a museum and former library in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A Category C listed structure, it stands on St Peter Street at its junction with Queen Street. American industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated funds towards its ...

in St Peter Street, and the creation of a new regional museum.

References

{{reflist Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Arbuthnot House 1805 establishments in Scotland City chambers and town halls in Scotland Government buildings completed in 1805 Listed government buildings in Scotland

History

See also

References