£361,000 Funding Boost for Inverness Town House
Issued by Historic Environment Scotland
Major boost for one of city’s most important historic buildings
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced investments of over £1.7 million to repair historic buildings around Scotland, including £361,000 for Inverness Town House.
The money is awarded as part of Historic Environment Scotland’s Building Repair Grants scheme, which supports repair work to buildings of historic or architectural interest. This is the third round of investment announced since Historic Environment Scotland came into being in October 2015.
The A-listed Town House was opened in 1882, after a competition for its design was won by local architect William Lawrie. It serves as the base for Highland Council in Inverness as well as being used for wider community uses such as classical music concerts, weddings and civil ceremonies. The funding will be used to carry out essential repairs to the building’s fabric.
The Highland Council's City Area Manager David Haas said: “The Highland Council are committed to undertaking extensive repairs to Inverness Town House, and it’s great to receive a second investment from Historic Environment Scotland to support the long term future of this much loved building. As well as being a building of significant architectural and historic interest, it’s a key venue in the city for music, drama and entertainment. We’ll be using the funding from HES to carry out repairs to stonework and pointing, which are needed to ensure the building’s continued use.”
Amongst the other funding recipients are Lerwick Town Hall in Shetland, the Porter’s Lodge and Boatman’s House at Lews Castle in the Western Isles, and Greenock’s former District Court, which dates back to 1886.
Martin Fairley, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said, “We received some very strong applications for the latest round of funding, and are pleased to be able to support urgently needed repairs in seven buildings across Scotland. The projects chosen to receive funding range in scale from boathouses to town halls, and it’s been great to see such a diverse range, with remarkably high levels of community interest.”