{{Short description|City hall in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Perth City Hall | native_name = | image = Perth Museum 2024.jpg | caption = Main entrance, pictured in 2024, looking east | locmapin = Scotland Perth | map_caption = Shown in Perth | coordinates = {{coord|56.3959|-3.4294|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | location = Perth | area = | built = {{start date and age|1914|p=yes}} | architects = Henry Edward Clifford and Thomas Melville Lunan | architecture = Classical style | governing_body = | designation1 = Category B Listed Building | designation1_offname = | designation1_date = 26 August 1977 | designation1_number = LB39318 | website = }}
{{About|the building in Scotland|the building in Western Australia|Perth Town Hall}}
'''Perth City Hall''' is a civic building in King Edward Street, Perth, Scotland. Built in 1914, it is a Category B listed building.<ref name=hes>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB39318|desc=City Hall, King Edward Street, St John's Place and Kirkside|cat=B|access-date=17 April 2020}}</ref>
The building served as a music hall before closing in 2005 and being replaced by Perth Concert Hall. Major renovations began in 2018 which included the introduction of a museum in part of the building.
It reopened on 30 March 2024 as the new home of Perth Museum, with the Stone of Destiny as one of the flagship items on display.
==History== [[File:Original Perth City Hall.jpg|left|thumb|The original City Hall, pictured around 1870, looking west from St John's Kirk]] [[File:Perth City Hall, c. 1956.jpg|thumb|left|A {{circa|1956}} view of the streetscape around City Hall. This view to the east shows Meal Vennel and King Edward Street prior to the construction of St John's Square. Meal Vennel and St John's Square were replaced by St John's Shopping Centre]] thumb|upright|Putto holding a garland (circa 1914), right side bay, King Edward Street façade In the mid-19th century the administrative centre of the town was the old city chambers at the east end of the High Street.<ref name=made>{{cite web|url=https://madeinperth.org/perth-burgh-chambers/|title=Perth Burgh Chambers|publisher=Made in Perth|access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>{{efn|The old city chambers were replaced by the Municipal Buildings also at the east end of the High Street in 1881.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=205712|title=Perth Municipal Buildings|publisher=Dictionary of Scottish Architects|access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>}} However, civic leaders needed a public hall in which to hold concerts and other public events and the first city hall, designed by William Macdonald Mackenzie, was built on the site of the old flesh, butter and meal markets in what became King Edward Street in 1844.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicenvironment.scot/media/3065/perth-city-hall-report-handling-2-may-2012.pdf|page=2|title=Perth City Hall, King Edward Street, Perth, PH1 5UG|publisher=Historic Environment Scotland|date=2 May 2012|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qnd4Ll4MAi4C&pg=PA108 |title=Perth and Kinross (Buildings of Scotland Series) |page=108|first= John |last=Gifford|year= 2007|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300109221}}</ref> By the turn of the century the first city hall was in a very dilapidated state and, after a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling injuring several people, the building was demolished in 1908.<ref name=record>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/council-archives-put-perth-city-2735895|title=Council archives put Perth City Hall in the picture|date=12 August 2011|publisher=Daily Record|access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref>
The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the Lord Provost, Councillor James Cuthbert, on 26 June 1909.<ref name=record/> It was designed by Harry Edward Clifford and Thomas Melville Lunan in the Classical style, built at a cost of £25,000 and officially opened by the Lord Justice General, Lord Dunedin, on 29 April 1911.<ref name=record/> The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing King Edward Street (a 180-degree change from the original building's orientation), which was laid out between 1901 and 1902;<ref name=duncan>''Perth, A City Again'', Duncan. J. (2012), p. 299</ref> the central section of three bays featured a large portico with three round-headed doorways with windows above flanked by full-height Ionic order columns in pairs.<ref name=hes/> Perth mercat cross was erected immediately to the west of City Hall in 1913, during the building's reconstruction.<ref name=civic>{{cite web|url=http://www.perthcivictrust.org.uk/staging/?page_id=480|title=Civic History of Perth from Medieval Times|publisher=Perth Civic Trust|access-date=2 December 2021|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926192844/http://www.perthcivictrust.org.uk/staging/?page_id=480|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://canmore.org.uk/site/28385/perth-south-inch-cromwellian-citadel Perth, South Inch, Cromwellian Citadel] - Canmore.org.uk</ref><ref name=perthcity>{{Cite web |url=http://www.perthcity.co.uk/index.asp?pg=61 |title=Cromwell's Citadel |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=24 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824192418/http://www.perthcity.co.uk/index.asp?pg=61 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Margaret Thatcher addressed the Scottish Conservative Party conference in the hall, just a week after becoming Prime Minister, in May 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/104082 |title=Speech to Scottish Conservative Party Conference | Margaret Thatcher Foundation |publisher=Margaretthatcher.org |date= |access-date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011135/http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/104082 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Beyond the mercat cross, the main entrance of St John's Centre was built facing City Hall: St John's Square was demolished in 1987 to make way for its construction.<ref>[https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst17781.html St John's Shopping Centre] – ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland'', Francis Hindes Groome (1901)</ref>
Perth City Hall hosted concerts from a number of high-profile performers throughout its history, including The Who in 1965 and The Spencer Davis Group in 1966 through to Morrissey as late as September 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/travel/scotland-travel/broadcaster-stuart-cosgrove-is-full-of-northern-soul/|title=Broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove is full of Northern soul|first=Kenny|last=Smith|date=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewhothismonth.com/1965.html|title=The Who This Month! 1965|website=www.thewhothismonth.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/funeral-of-well-known-perth-musician-2739373|title=Funeral of well-known Perth musician|date=11 March 2011|website=Daily Record}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/morrissey/2004/city-hall-perth-scotland-bd7d126.html |title=Morrissey Concert Setlist at City Hall, Perth on September 3, 2004 |publisher=setlist.fm |date= |access-date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221146/http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/morrissey/2004/city-hall-perth-scotland-bd7d126.html |archive-date=4 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Following the opening of the Perth Concert Hall in 2005, the city hall became vacant<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/20528/Perth-City-Hall-history|title=Perth City Hall History|publisher=Perth and Kinross Council|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> and was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/details/903189|title=Perth City Hall, King Edward Street, Perth|publisher=Buildings at Risk|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
In May 2012 Perth and Kinross Council submitted a proposal to demolish the hall and redevelop the site but this was rejected by Historic Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-17989542|title=Perth City Hall demolition plan rejected by Historic Scotland|date=10 May 2012|publisher=BBC|access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> The council then sought architectural proposals for the re-design of the existing building and the short-listed proposals were put on display in June 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-40247067|title=Architects' designs for Perth City Hall unveiled|publisher=BBC|date=12 June 2017|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
==Perth Museum== In January 2019, BAM Construction began work on a £30 million programme of works to convert the city hall into a new heritage and arts attraction based on a design by Mecanoo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/14876/Perth-City-Hall|title=Perth City Hall|publisher=Perth and Kinross Council|access-date=16 April 2020|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415220607/https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/14876/Perth-City-Hall|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/perth-city-hall-transformation-plan-gets-final-approval|title=Perth City Hall transformation plan gets final approval|publisher=Scottish Construction Now|date=31 January 2019|access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> The new attraction will incorporate displays on the Stone of Destiny and the Kingdom of Alba.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/perth-kinross/870683/new-images-reveal-how-perth-city-hall-will-be-transformed/|title=New images reveal how Perth City Hall will be transformed|publisher=The Courier|date=16 April 2019|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
In December 2020, the Scottish Government announced that the Stone of Destiny would be relocated to the hall by 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18964905.stone-destiny-relocated-perth/|title=Stone of Destiny to return to 'spiritual home' of Perth|date=23 December 2020|publisher=The Herald|access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref>
A competition to name the building's forthcoming museum section was launched in March 2022,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/perth-kinross/3092870/perth-city-hall-museum-name/|title=Public asked for to help name Perth City Hall's new museum|publisher=The Courier|access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> with the winning name being "Perth Museum", with 60% of the votes.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |title='The obvious choice': public vote for new Perth museum to be named 'Perth Museum' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/07/the-obvious-choice-public-vote-for-new-perth-museum-to-be-named-perth-museum |access-date=8 November 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=7 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
The building reopened on 30 March 2024 as the Perth Museum, with the Stone of Destiny and the Carpow Logboat as two of the flagship items on display.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=BBC News |title=Stone of Destiny takes centre stage at new £27m Perth Museum|date=28 March 2024|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-68625908|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref>
==See also== *List of listed buildings in Perth, Scotland *Perth Art Gallery, former home to Perth Museum
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5dZYS_GI60 "Friends of Perth & Kinross Archive Present: Ancient Roots - creating a new museum at Perth City Hall"] – Culture Perth and Kinross, YouTube, 16 May 2022
Perth Category:Government buildings completed in 1914 Category:1914 establishments in Scotland Category:Listed buildings in Perth, Scotland Category:Category B listed buildings in Perth and Kinross Category:Listed government buildings in Scotland Category:Listed museum buildings in Scotland