doors

Out and about today, dodging the showers and doing stuff. On my way through Dumfries, I had to collect some Fairtrade newsletters from the Municipal Chambers in Buccleuch Street. It's a building I have passed hundreds of times but have never been inside. It's home to, among other council offices, the Registrar - D went there almost 20 years ago to register our youngest son's birth. As I went through the doors (guarded by a pair of these magnificent lions), I thought of all the people who have come through here on happy and sad occasions - births, marriages and deaths.

The building itself dates only from the 1930's - here's a bit of history:

The Municipal Chambers was designed by James Carruthers of Glasgow. It was officially opened by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester on 20th September 1932, an event recorded by the local press as the first royal visit to the town in 315 years. The panelling and furniture was provided by well known cabinet makers Wylie and Lochhead of Glasgow. It is said that the panels were originally intended for use on the Queen Mary which was under construction at the time in Glasgow. Work had halted on the liner in December 1931 due to the Great Depression while Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete the ship. The stained glass window at the rear on the ground floor was reused from an earlier Town Hall. The red sandstone for the frontage and other features of the building came from the local Locharbriggs Quarry which is famed for its weather resisting qualities.