Biggar Corn Exchange

Biggar Corn Exchange is a historic civic and cultural venue on the High Street in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building was commissioned in the mid-nineteenth century to replace an older market house known as the Meal House, where local corn merchants traded. By that period, the older structure had become unsuitable and was reportedly affected by rats and mice. The burgh authorities therefore arranged for its acquisition, demolition and replacement on the same site. The new building was designed by David MacGibbon in a Scottish baronial style and constructed by Jack & White of Edinburgh using rubble masonry with ashlar stone detailing. Its foundation stone was laid on 24 August 1860 by William Edward Hope-Vere, Grand Master of the Upper Ward of Clydesdale, in a ceremony conducted with full Masonic honours. The completed building opened on 14 November 1861, with the opening performed by local Member of Parliament Sir Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet. Architecturally, the building has an asymmetrical four-bay frontage. The principal block contains the main entrance and decorative window groupings, while a prominent four-stage clock tower occupies the right-hand side. The tower includes lancet windows, a coat of arms and a clock face beneath a pyramidal roof. Materials and features recovered from the earlier Cross Knowe, a medieval stone cross associated with the High Street, were incorporated into the building. The interior originally included a principal hall as well as reading and meeting rooms on the first floor. The venue's original role as a corn exchange diminished substantially after the late-nineteenth-century agricultural depression. It subsequently adapted to public entertainment, initially showing silent films and operating as a cinema by 1913. Biggar Burgh Council acquired the building in 1935, after which it became known as Biggar Cinema. The cinema closed in 1965, and the building was then used by a local theatre workshop. A substantial conservation and refurbishment programme was completed in 2010. The work was designed by Richard Murphy Architects and supported by South Lanarkshire Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Town Centre Regeneration Fund and the LEADER scheme. Following the refurbishment, Biggar Corn Exchange reopened in October 2010 as a community arts centre. It now combines the heritage value of a Category B listed building with a contemporary role as a theatre and local cultural venue. Its significance lies less in commercial consumer branding than in the continuity of civic, entertainment and community uses within an adapted historic building.

Biggar's corn-trading activity was historically associated with a market house called the Meal House, situated behind the medieval Cross Knowe on the town's High Street. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Meal House had deteriorated and was considered unhygienic, with accounts describing infestation by rats and mice. The burgh authorities acquired the property from Colonel John Elphinstone-Fleming, who later became the 14th Lord Elphinstone, with the intention of replacing it with a purpose-built corn exchange. The replacement building was designed by David MacGibbon and executed in a Scottish baronial idiom. Jack & White of Edinburgh constructed it in rubble masonry with ashlar stone dressings. The foundation stone was laid on 24 August 1860 by William Edward Hope-Vere, the Grand Master of the Upper Ward of Clydesdale, during a ceremony held with full Masonic honours. The building was formally opened on 14 November 1861 by Sir Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet, the local Member of Parliament. The building's street elevation was arranged as an asymmetrical composition of four bays. The first three bays formed the main block, while the fourth was occupied by a four-stage clock tower. Architectural details included an ashlar-faced central bay, an ogee-hooded doorway, a cross-window, a stepped gable and lancet openings. The tower carried a coat of arms and a clock face beneath a pyramidal, louvred roof. Elements recovered from the Cross Knowe were placed above the oculus in the south gable. Inside, the principal space was the exchange hall, supported by reading and meeting rooms on the first floor. The original agricultural-market function declined during the late nineteenth century as the British agricultural depression reduced the importance of local corn exchanges. The building was adapted for entertainment and began showing silent films. By 1913 it was operating as a cinema, demonstrating an early transition from a commercial market facility to a public entertainment venue. Biggar Burgh Council acquired it in 1935, and the building became known as Biggar Cinema. Cinema operations ended in 1965. Rather than being abandoned, the building entered another phase of community use as a local theatre workshop. This continued the pattern of adaptation that has characterised its history: the structure has repeatedly been given new civic and cultural functions while retaining its central place in Biggar. A major refurbishment programme was undertaken in 2010. The project was designed by Richard Murphy Architects and funded through a combination of support from South Lanarkshire Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Town Centre Regeneration Fund and the LEADER scheme. The reported cost was £500,000. After completion, the building reopened in October 2010 as a community arts centre. It is now used as a theatre and arts venue and remains a Category B listed building, reflecting its architectural and historic importance.

• 2010

  Reopened as a community arts centre

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  A major refurbishment was completed and the building reopened in October 2010 as a community arts centre and theatre.

• 1965

  Cinema closed

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema operation ended, after which the building was used by a local theatre workshop.

• 1935

  Acquired by Biggar Burgh Council

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  Biggar Burgh Council acquired the building, which subsequently became known as Biggar Cinema.

• 1913

  Established as a cinema

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  After the decline of its agricultural-market role, the building was operating as a cinema by 1913 and had previously shown silent films.

• 1861

  Building officially opened

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  The new corn exchange opened on 14 November 1861, with the ceremony performed by local Member of Parliament Sir Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet.

• 1860

  Foundation stone laid

  [1]Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation stone for the replacement corn exchange was laid on 24 August 1860 by William Edward Hope-Vere in a ceremony held with full Masonic honours.

A community-oriented arts and theatre venue that preserves and reuses a nineteenth-century Scottish civic building.

• Arts and cultural venue · 2010

  Community arts centre

  The current primary role of Biggar Corn Exchange is as a community arts centre serving Biggar and the surrounding area. Its programming is based in a restored historic building and supports cultural participation, local events and public-facing arts activity.

• Performing arts · 1965

  Theatre venue

  The building operates as a theatre and provides a setting for performances and theatre-related community activity. This use follows the site's earlier history as a cinema and its later use by a local theatre workshop.

• Heritage property · 1861

  Historic corn exchange building

  The Category B listed building is itself a central offering: a nineteenth-century Scottish baronial structure with a clock tower, historic stonework and interior spaces adapted for cultural use.

• 2010

  Conversion into a community arts centreStrategy

  Background

  The historic building had passed from corn exchange to cinema and then theatre-workshop use. A major refurbishment was undertaken to secure a renewed long-term cultural role.

  Action taken

  The building was refurbished under a design by Richard Murphy Architects and reopened in October 2010 as a community arts centre and theatre.

  Aftermath

  The project preserved the listed building while returning it to active public cultural use.

  Refurbishment cost. £500,000 (2010 refurbishment programme)

  Source

1. 1Biggar Corn Exchangeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Biggar Corn Exchange official websitebiggarcornexchange.org.uk