Scalloway Public Hall
Municipal building in Scalloway, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scalloway Public Hall is a municipal building on Berry Road in Scalloway in Shetland in Scotland. The building, which is used as a community events venue, is a Category C listed building.[1]
| Scalloway Public Hall | |
|---|---|
The building in 2008 | |
| Location | Berry Road, Scalloway |
| Coordinates | 60.1385°N 1.2767°W |
| Built | 1902 |
| Architectural style | Freestyle |
Listed Building – Category C(S) | |
| Official name | Scalloway, Berry Road, Scalloway Hall and Library, including railings and gatepiers |
| Designated | 28 July 2000 |
| Reference no. | LB47295 |
  Shown in Shetland | |
History
Following significant population growth, largely associated with fishing industry, civic leaders decided to commission a public hall for Scalloway. The development, which was financed by the Scottish-American businessman, Andrew Carnegie, included a public library and a mechanics' institute.[2] The site they selected was open land on the west side of Berry Road.[3]
The new building followed a freestyle design, was built in rubble masonry with ashlar stone dressings and was completed in 1902.[4] The design involved a main block of three bays, with a circular entrance tower to the right, facing south onto Berry Road. The main block was fenestrated by three casement windows on the ground floor and by a large Venetian window on the first floor with a wide gable above. At roof level, there was a square metal tower with a slate base and clock faces, surmounted by a weather vane. The circular entrance tower, which was faced in ashlar stone, featured a doorway in a stone surround on the ground floor, and a casement window on the first floor, all surmounted by a crenelated parapet. Internally, the principal room was the assembly hall, which stretched back to the north behind the main frontage.[1]
During the Second World War, when Scalloway accommodated the headquarters of the Shetland bus, part of the Norwegian resistance against the German occupation, the public hall operated as a 100-bed hospital for use by soldiers and evacuees from Norway.[5] The assembly hall was extended to the east and west with modern additions during the second half of the 20th century.[1]
In the early 1970s, the building was the venue for a talk by the county development officer from Zetland County Council, Michael Stansbury, on the proposed Sullom Voe Terminal and the likely implications for Scalloway as a potential service centre.[6][7] In the 21st century, the building continued to be used for public meetings,[8][9][10] film premieres[11] and concerts.[12] Performers have included Jarvis Cocker and Candida Doyle from the rock band, Pulp, who appeared at a function in August 2023.[13]