The Tolbooth in West Wemyss is a rare example of Scotland’s civic architecture. Built in the early eighteenth century, and possibly incorporating earlier fabric, this two-storey building with its projecting clock tower has long held a civic presence on Main Street. One of only ninety tolbooths that remain across the country, this B-listed structure embodies the village’s status as a burgh of barony and its history as a centre of administration, trade and ceremony.
By the late twentieth century, unsympathetic repairs had accelerated the building’s decay. Cementitious harling and pointing, applied in a maritime context, had cracked and trapped moisture, leading to significant deterioration of the underlying stone. The first phase of conservation, led by GRAS in close collaboration with Graeme Brown Stonemason, set out to reverse this damage and secure the Tolbooth’s external fabric.
Scaffolding allowed for a close survey of the masonry, roof and tower. Cement harling was carefully stripped back to expose the underlying rubble and dressings, many of which showed laminations, erosion and previous failed repairs. Defective areas were indented or replaced with matching sandstone, informed by sampling from the Scottish Lime Centre Trust. Pinning, packing and comprehensive repointing were undertaken with lime mortars before the building was re-harled in a through-coloured lime render, reinstating a moisture-open breathable envelope. At the highest level of the tower, where the eaves course had delaminated beyond repair, new stone was cut and bedded to match the weathered originals, guided by structural input from Narro Associates.
Other repairs included the replacement of oversized copper roof panels, where star-cracking had occurred, with new sections of more appropriate scale; the installation of a new oak-studded entrance door made by traditional methods; and the repair of masonry and cobbled surfaces at the pend. The forestair was fitted with a new painted galvanised handrail in a period style to replace the badly corroded wrought iron.
The work was delivered through the combined expertise of Graeme Brown Stonemasons, Graciela Ainsworth Sculpture Conservation, Blake’s Roofing, Crown Traditional Craftsmen and Andrew Turner Blacksmiths, under the guidance of Morham & Brotchie as quantity surveyors. Every intervention was informed by detailed inspection, balancing the retention of historic fabric with carefully judged replacement where necessary.
The Wemyss 1952 Trust, long-term custodians of the Tolbooth, have played a central role in securing its future by committing to a phased programme of works. This first stage, though focused on largely unseen repair, represents an essential act of care and investment in continuity. By consolidating the external fabric, the project establishes the foundation for interior adaptation in the next phase, where historic features revealed during survey will be reinstated alongside a new residential use. In doing so, the Tolbooth is prepared not only for renewal but for a return of civic presence, reasserting its role as a landmark on Main Street and as a shared point of identity in village life.
Situated to the northern edge of the village of Tongue on the north coast of Scotland, the Burr’s of Tongue site lies on the North Coast 500 route. Our client, Wildland, approached GRAS to embark on a new approach to the development of the site. The first building we focussed on was Burr’s of Tongue General Store which had been previously ear-marked for demolition due to its poor condition and unsympathetic alterations.
The store had been lying vacant for years but was previously the heart of a business enterprise run by Peter Burr, which historically had served many communities in the north coast.
Our approach to sustainability (both environmental and social) was to retain as much of the existing fabric as possible through a careful conservation-led strategy to retain the building’s environmental, historical and community value. By embedding the site in its history, the project seeks to harness the strong collective memories that are very much still alive in the area.
The completion of the store marks the first phase in Wildland’s commitment to the regeneration of the site, with acknowledgement of the influence and community amenity that the Burr’s ecosystem provided to both the local and wider area.
GRAS is leading a design team on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland, to develop an understanding of the Category A-listed Malleny House. Work is now underway to record the historic fabric, condition survey and inform planned fabric repairs to secure the future of the building. A team including AOC Archaeology have recently undertaken a LiDAR survey of the property both internally and externally from which a 3D model and high-resolution scaled orthographic images and elevational drawings will be produced.
The site has been Listed at Category A since 1971. The property is now surrounded by an area of housing, designated as Balerno Conservation Area. There are also the A-listed Doocot and C-listed Scott Burial Vault nearby. The earliest documentary evidence of Malleny estate is from around the 1280s. Malleny House was built around 1637 by the then owner Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton, Master of the King’s Works. Elements of an earlier house may have been incorporated into the fabric, which are thought to include the date stone of 1589, located in the kitchen of the present house . The Georgian Wing to the North was added around the 1820s. The date of the Southern range is assumed to be mid-19th Century. It is hoped the project will reveal more about this detail.
Moffat is a small town of approximately 2,500 residents located in the district of Annandale within the Scottish Borders, roughly twenty-one miles north of Dumfries. The town’s development primarily took place during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as a spa resort. During this period, Moffat experienced significant redevelopment, with a number of hotels and inns constructed in the town centre to accommodate a growing influx of visitors.
The Moffat Conservation Area encompasses the town centre and extends northeast to include parkland along the Annan Water. To the west, it covers predominantly nineteenth-century residential areas. GRAS was first appointed by the Moffat Community Council in late 2018 to prepare a Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan. This document provided the basis for an application to the Scottish Government’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which successfully secured funding for the area.
Following this, GRAS received several further commissions, including the development of proposals to refurbish and adapt Archbald Moffat House, a Category B listed building dating from the late eighteenth century. These works aim to support the sustainable use and preservation of this important historic asset within the town’s evolving heritage framework.
Inveravon Church, located near Ballindalloch in Moray, is home to four Class I incised Pictish symbol stones dating from approximately the sixth century CE. These stones feature some of the earliest known examples of Pictish carving, including multiple representations of the ‘Pictish Beast,’ one of the most recognisable and enigmatic motifs in Pictish art.
Previously mounted into the external face of the church’s south wall, the stones were exposed to the effects of the Highland climate, particularly the damaging freeze-thaw cycle. Their placement also contributed to moisture ingress through the wall, raising concerns for both the stones and the building fabric. In consultation with conservation specialists, a decision was taken to relocate the stones to a more stable internal environment within the church.
Following careful conservation and documentation, the stones were removed from the external wall and repositioned in the north porch of the church, where they are now protected from environmental stress. New interpretation panels were installed alongside the display, allowing visitors to better understand the cultural and historic significance of the carvings.
This project reflects best practice in the conservation of early carved stones, balancing the need for public access and interpretation with long-term preservation. The relocation safeguards an important part of Scotland’s early medieval heritage within an architectural setting that continues to serve the local community.
