Alternative Names Aberdeen, 2 Broad Street, Old Town House; Lodge Walk; Tolboth Tower; Sheriff Courthouse; Aberdeen City Chambers; Town House; Town House Extension
Site type SUNDIAL, TOLBOOTH
Canmore ID 20154
Site Number NJ90NW 33
NGR NJ 94370 06358
Council ABERDEEN, CITY OF
Parish ABERDEEN
Former Region GRAMPIAN
Former District CITY OF ABERDEEN
Former County ABERDEENSHIRE

Canmore Mapping
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Archaeological Notes

NJ90NW 33 94370 06358

(NJ 9440 0635) Tollbooth (NR) (Remains of)
OS 1:500 map, Aberdeenshire, 2nd ed., (1901).

For Old Aberdeen Town House (NJ 9391 0848), see NJ90NW 184.

The remains of the tolbooth dating from 1615 to 1627, stand on the site of its predecessor built in 1394. The frontage to Castle Street is now obscured by modern buildings but a square three-storey, ashlar tower with corbelled bartizans and spire is still exposed in Lodge Walk.
Visited by OS (JLD) 22 August 1952.
R Anderson 1910; HBD List No.56, 17

A five-storey tower, with battlemented and turreted parapet and a spire, engulfed within 19th century offices. It was built between 1615 and 1630, the spire being repaired in 1648 and renewed in 1839.
J Neild 1812; Spalding Club 1844-8; J Rettie 1868; G Stell 1981.

During consolidation work, mortar-bonded walls were discovered below the floor of the Old Town House, in the area in which the 17th-century Tolbooth is incorporated. The area uncovered seemed to include a small chamber or cell c2.7 by 1.4m with part of a narrow entrance passage. The chamber had the remnants of a brick vaulted roof which may not have been part of the original structure.
J A Stones and A S Cameron 1989

During continued alterations in and around the 17th-18th century structure, previously obscured openings and other details were recorded in cooperation with RCAHMS.
J Stones 1990.

(GRC/AAS sites NJ90NW 45 and NJ90NW 168 ). Tolbooth dating from 1615-27 on site of predecessor built in 1394. The frontage to Castle Street is now obscured by modern buildings but a square three-storey tower with corbelled bartizans, steeple and spire is still exposed in Lodge Walk. The great square tower was built in 1615 and a belfry and spire added in 1627, although the present spire dates from 1726 when the first clock was installed; the present clock dates from 1817.
The main function of the building was as a prison, the town house proper lying to the W; this was repaired in 1670 and rebuilt in 1729 when a staircase was added.
(Bibliographic and newspaper references cited).
NMRS, MS/712/83.

Air photographs.
Marischal College and City Chambers: AAS/00/08/CT, AAS/00/12/CT and AAS/00/12/G30/13.
Town House and King Street: AAS/00/12/CT.
NMRS, MS/712/100.

Architectural Notes

NMRS REFERENCE:
Aberdeen, Castle Street, Municipal Buildings.

Comprises of:

Tolbooth Tower - remnant of original tolbooth, later incorporated into Courthouse as vestibule.
Courthouse - 19th Century courthouse entered through Tolbooth Tower.
County and Municipal Buildings - 19th Century building including a tower sometimes known as Steeple.

The whole now catalogued as Municipal Buildings.
Not to be confused with High Street, Town House.

Aberdeen fifty years ago (1868) Aberdeen fifty years ago: being a series of twenty-one engravings of buildings in and that were about Aberdeen, along with wood engravings of some of the wells etc., Aberdeen
Page(s): 63-73 Held at RCAHMS D.5.13.ABE

Anderson, R (1910) Aberdeen in bygone days: views of streets and buildings &c, with letterepress descriptions, Aberdeen
Page(s): 6 Held at RCAHMS D.5.13.ABE

Bogdan and Bryce, N and I B D (1991) 'Castles, manors and 'town houses' survey', Discovery Excav Scot
Page(s): 24