Work to revamp the historic Town House in the heart of Inverness has received a £361,000 funding boost.
It was announced yesterday that the money had been awarded as part of Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) building repair grants scheme.
Lerwick’s Town Hall and Lews Castle Porter’s Lodge and Boatman’s House, on the Western Isles, have also received grants in the latest funding round.
The Highland capital’s A-listed Town House, which was designed by local architect William Lawrie and opened in 1882, is currently undergoing a £4.2million renovation.
Andrew Puls, of the local authority’s Historic Environment Team, said: “The Highland Council are committed to undertaking extensive repairs to Inverness Town House, and it’s great to receive a second investment from Historic Environment Scotland to support the long term future of this much loved building.
“As well as being a building of significant architectural and historic interest, it’s a key venue in the city for music, drama and entertainment.
“We’ll be using the funding from HES to carry out repairs to stonework and pointing, which are needed to ensure the building’s continued use.”
The second phase of the work on the Town House is due for completion in 2017/18, with the final stage, involving a revamp of the back of the building, expected to be finished by 2018/19.
The project hit the headlines last month after the Press and Journal revealed that workmen at the site had left the local authority with a huge repair bill after damaging two chandeliers.
Lerwick’s A-listed Town Hall will receive £233,855 from the fund to repair water damage, as part of a wider project by the Shetland Amenity Trust to enhance community use of the hall and attract more tourists.
A further £250,000 will go towards rebuild and repair work at the Porter’s Lodge and the Boatman’s House in the grounds of Lews Castle, on the north-east coast of Lewis.
Martin Fairley, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “We received some very strong applications for the latest round of funding, and are pleased to be able to support urgently needed repairs in seven buildings across Scotland.
“The projects chosen to receive funding range in scale from boathouses to town halls, and it’s been great to see such a diverse range, with remarkably high levels of community interest.”