Penicuik Town Hall

The Town Hall is a prominent building in the heart of Penicuik. It was built in 1883, as indicated by the date stone on the front elevation and was originally known as the Cowan Institute. The building is a three and four-storey red sandstone building situated on the south side of the High Street of traditional construction with loadbearing masonry walls and a timber roof structure.
The project scope included repair and enhancement to conserve the external envelope, and M&E installations to improve the energy efficiency of the building.
The project was part of the Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project, a Townscape Heritage and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme, jointly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and Midlothian Council, and supported by Penicuik Community Development Trust and Penicuik and District Community Council.
To retain the character and historic significance, the strategic approach to this project was to repair as much of the existing fabric as possible, replacing stones only when necessary. Stones damaged by cement mortar were replaced and the whole building was repointed in lime mortar. The roof and turret were repaired, with new lead flashings and watergates. Energy use was reduced by the installation of a combined heat and power boiler in place of the previous gas boilers, and the installation of photovoltaic panels on concealed roof pitches.
The town hall has been returned to its former glory, preserving an important piece of the history of Penicuik and maintaining a key local space for community use.