Straight ahead, you’ll spot a grand, stone building with perfectly balanced windows, a clock perched high in a tall, spire-topped tower, and a statue standing proudly on the steps-the unmistakable Peterhead Town House watching over Broad Street.
Now that you’re here, take a breath and let’s travel back in time, where every stone of this Town House has a wild tale to tell. Imagine Broad Street in the late 1700s-horses clopping over cobbles, merchants shouting, and the smell of fresh-market fish in the air. It was here, in 1788, that the Peterhead Town House sprang up in all its neoclassical glory, looking not so different from what you see today. The building’s perfectly symmetrical face and sharp stone edges were meant to announce: Peterhead is thriving!
But our story stretches back even further. The very first town building stood not here, but at the corner of Longate and Brook Lane, built around 1600 thanks to the generous George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal. That old tolbooth held many secrets, but in 1645, in the grip of the great plague, it doubled as a hospital. Imagine-sick townsfolk, flickering candlelight and panicked footsteps. Sadly, that building burned soon after.
Did Peterhead give up? Not a chance! Another tolbooth rose on Tolbooth Wynd, built under orders of William Keith, fresh from the Tower of London, no less. With a belfry and a bell from 1725, it rang out every hour, echoing across the windy streets. Each chime probably made unruly prisoners and market sellers perk up their ears!
But the townsfolk wanted more-a grand, modern home for their council. So, the Community of Feuars (imagine today’s neighborhood association, but in fancy hats) commissioned John Baxter the younger to design this ashlar stone masterpiece. Five airy bays lined the front, and, before the grand entrance porch you see today, there were grand steps leading up, making all arrivals feel very important.
Atop the building, that famous clock was crafted here in town by James Argo, and the bell came from the legendary Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the same foundry that made Big Ben in London. It rang out news, celebrations, and-surely more than a few times-startled townsfolk awake!
The Town House wasn’t just for show: schoolrooms, markets, and even justice was served within these walls. Downstairs, local markets bustled, while upstairs, council and courtroom business ticked on. And in 1832, a new stretch was added out toward Marischal Street-including a lock-up for “pretty prisoners”-though I suppose that just means “petty,” unless someone was judging beauty contests behind bars!
In 1861, the fire brigade rolled out their fancy new horse-drawn engine, ready to tackle any blaze. Not to be outdone, in 1868, King William I of Prussia gifted the statue of Field Marshal James Keith-there he stands, forever keeping Broad Street in check.
But time took its toll. By 2019, the Town House was worn and weary, slipping onto the Buildings at Risk Register. Thankfully, the town banded together and with a sprinkle of grants and elbow grease, gave it the grand spruce-up you see today. Now the clock tower still keeps watch, the market floors have found new purpose, and the whole structure stands as a proud testament to Peterhead’s adventurous past, grit, and community spirit.
Now, as the sea breeze rattles the spire and the statue of James Keith eyes the horizon, can you feel the pulse of centuries past swirling all around you?
