Sanquhar Tolbooth work to tackle damage from previous repairs

Plans have been lodged to tackle the deterioration of a 290-year-old building in the south of Scotland.

Sanquhar Tolbooth was built between 1735 and 1737 and is a category A-listed building which now operates as a museum.

However, some of its stonework is in a “state of disrepair” due to the improper application of cement mortar and slurry over the surface of the stone.

An application has been submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council to carry out work to prevent the condition of the building deteriorating any further.

The tolbooth was designed by William Adam and has been described as “the most historically significant building in the area”.

Built from sandstone, there have been several attempts to repair its stonework and some of these appear to have done more harm than good.

In 1958, a grinding disc was used to remove paint and caused “substantial damage”.

It was followed, at a later date, by “the most problematic remediation method” when cement mortar was used to repoint parts of the building.

A conservation report added that the property’s location – next to the A76 trunk road – had also resulted in “extensive environmental damage”.

Listed building consent is now being sought to try to tackle the issues found with the site.

They would see the repointing and replacement of some stonework, removal of lead fixings and cleaning of a flagpole in order to prevent any further damage to the historic structure.