By Andrew Newton
Two or three years ago the Stonehaven Tolbooth Association (STA), which operates the Tolbooth Museum, submitted a community asset transfer request (CAT) to Aberdeenshire Council to purchase the whole of the Tolbooth building and its associated courtyards.
The local Councillors unanimously supported this request but unfortunately council officials wished to retain the upper floor which is leased to the Tolbooth Restaurant. Due to the two differing views the request had to go to another committee and the latter sided with the officials. Although this decision restricted STA’s plans for renovating and extending the whole premises, this setback did not deter STA for long and, over the last 15 months, they have being forging ahead with ideas on how to improve the ground floor and the two courtyards.
Inner courtyard restoration project
The first stage was a review of the Inner Courtyard. This had been hidden from the general public for perhaps as much as 50 years; during this period of neglect it had become a dumping ground for waste material and at the same time mother nature had tried to re-claim it for her own. It was completely unusable.
STA engaged the architectural services of John Aitken to oversee the project and were fortunate enough to be awarded a grant from the Aberdeenshire Council Coastal Community Challenge Fund.
The initial idea was fairly simple: clear and level the area, lay new paving that was sympathetic to the existing grade A listed building, install disabled access and re-point the walls.
Work started in September 2024 and the vegetation was cleared, but once the digger started, the original 17th century paving was discovered under layers of detritus. This paving was very uneven and in poor shape but it was obviously of historical importance. So, what to do? After a bit of head scratching it was decided to abandon the original idea of new slabs and lift the 300 year old paving, clean and relay it.
This was a momentous decision because although it preserved an historical feature and was carbon neutral, compared to using modern material, the cost of sourcing and employing a skilled stonemason, and the additional work in laying randomly shaped stones, was considerably in excess of the grant awarded. STA has had to fund the additional cost themselves.
Renovation proceeded slowly over the winter months as the contractors were dependent on favourable weather, for example the air temperature must be greater than 5° C when pointing with lime mortar. However, the project is now completed and a big vote of thanks is due to Jim Stephen and the workforce at Simbas Construction who took pride in sympathetically restoring another part of Stonehaven’s heritage.
STA has completed the first phase of the improvements which have been made possible under new ownership. They have provided the community with a usable location in the harbour area and are actively seeking partnerships with local organisations which would be mutually beneficial to the museum and third parties. The current plan is to have an Open Day at Easter so that the public can view this exciting additional open space at the harbour.
What next?
STA is looking to similarly renovate the Outer Courtyard, albeit it is in a far better shape than was the Inner Courtyard. Re-painting the wooden doors on the ground floor is also under consideration. This will be a welcome facelift for Stonehaven’s oldest building, without destroying any of its original character
Watch this space!