See the new plans for Lanark's historic Tolbooth

The Lanark Tolbooth, in High Street, has been a significant feature of the town centre for centuries, with uses ranging from jail to council room to shop.

For the last 23 years, it has been in community hands, having been bought by Lanark’s common good fund, leased to a charitable trust, and run by volunteers.

The original building dated from around 1400, with upgrades carried out in 1571 and 1714, possibly due to the number of jailbreaks there.

The building even saw a band of Jacobites, swords in hand, force their way into the council room in 1745 .

Another reconstruction in 1779 saw the upstairs hall built, but that did little to stop jailbreaks.

In the 1830s, the council and jail moved to Hope Street, and Hilston took over part of the tolbooth for a chemist’s which lasted well into the 20th century.

Now the building is to be redeveloped again, this time as a heritage centre and community hub in line with the vision for the town produced by Lanark Community Development Trust.

“We are looking forward to having the revitalised tolbooth open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday as a heritage information centre and hub for Lanark’s arts and community groups, manned by a rota of volunteers,” said general manager Ian Wilson Leitch.

The exhibition ran in the tolbooth, earlier this month and is on again today, Friday, February 17, and tomorrow Saturday, February 18, from 10am until 4pm both days.

And volunteers to man the building in the future will be very welcome.