Airdrie town centre has a number of heritage properties of good quality and whose external appearance contributes to the historic market town character and history of Airdrie.
A fine example of an early 20th century town hall, notable for its Baroque detailing. Airdrie-born architect John Thomson won the commission in an open competition. He died the year the building was completed.
"These public-minded buildings, the town hall or the library, give-off dignity in the same way grandparents do at a family party" - John Martin Fulton, artist
This road was laid-out as part of a Glasgow to Edinburgh Toll Road which opened in 1795. You had to pay to travel along it. The reason the road is so wide here was so that the horse drawn passenger coaches could turn. (a coach and six horses was as long as a modern large lorry-about 10 meters)
"The seat of the cronies, a vantage point from which nothing was missed" - Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser, 1865
A police office and jail on the ground floor and a courtroom on the first. It served as a cholera hospital, a barracks and in 1854 it was Scotland's first free library.
"It’s the four faced liar! Never tells the correct time"
Graceful arched windows at ground level, and lion’s heads that peer down from the roof’s edge. A portrait of King George I above the door. Why? He had helped establish the bank in 1727. Who was Robert Hamilton? In 1685, Hamilton established Airdrie as a market town, with a weekly market and regular fairs. So the restaurant was named after him.
Complemented by the neighbouring Airdrie Savings Bank the site and much of the cost being gifted by the bank. The building was the third and final resting place of Airdrie Public Library having previously moved from its original home in Airdrie Town House to a new building on Anderson Street in 1893 before the opening of the present building in 1924.
What can be done to improve our town centre? Here are some ideas…
Airdrie is an historic market town that has made important contributions to banking, engineering, weaving and world football. The legacy of its rich history can be seen in the built environment, with the town centre a designated Conservation Area boasting numerous Listed and other attractive heritage buildings.
Much of the town’s history has, however, been lost or is little known. Here are some images of Airdrie
Page last updated:
21 Aug 2024