The Tolbooth Museum in Aberdeen has announced it will reopen after a lengthy period of construction work.
Aberdeen City Council has revealed that the famous museum will open its doors again – but not until 2025.
Last year, it was announced that the building would close due to essential repair works worth up to £1.36 million.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: “Essential building works are currently ongoing at the Tolbooth Museum, and it won’t reopen until 2025.”
Before the latest closure, the building was closed for a further three years due to health and safety risks because of the pandemic.
What work is being done to the Aberdeen museum?
A large crack was discovered in an archway on the ground floor, which was deemed to be a risk to the health and safety of visitors.
Additional investigations were also carried out which unearthed rusting metal embedded in the stonework, as well as in its clock faces which needed to be refurbished.
There were also fears that pedestrians on Castle Street below were in danger from falling masonry on the exterior of the building.
Work included new leadwork, stabilising stonework, fixing a cracked Gothic-arched window and refurbishing the clock faces.
What is the Tolbooth Museum?
The Tolbooth Museum is rumoured to be Aberdeen’s most haunted building.
It operated as a jail for years before becoming a museum in 1995 for visitors to learn about crime and punishment in Aberdeen.
The exhibits within feature local history and the ways in which crime and punishment have evolved over the years.
The City Council’s website says “the museum’s unique atmosphere and gaol cells provide a striking visitor experience, and a real insight into imprisonment and the treatment of prisoners and rebel Jacobites in times gone by.”
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