Lerwick Town Hall
Lerwick Town Hall is a municipal building located in central Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland. It is protected as a Category A listed building.History
The building was commissioned during a period of expansion in Lerwick due to the wealth the herring industry brought. A site on the north Hillhead was selected. It was designed by architect Alexander Ross of Inverness in the Scottish Baronial style and builder John M. Aitken of Lerwick won the tender competition with a price of £3,240. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to the isles on 24 January 1882. That same evening Lerwick saw the first ever Up Helly Aa torchlight procession. The building was officially opened by George Thoms, sheriff of Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, on 30 July 1883.
The Corporation of Hamburg presented a stained glass window for the town hall in 1883 and the building was topped with a clock installed by Potts of Leeds in 1887.
The town hall was the headquarters of Lerwick Town Council until 1975 and has been the home of the Shetland Islands Council since then. The front steps, which had badly decayed, were replaced in spring 2008.Services
The town hall is used for functions such as marriages, wedding receptions, concerts, coffee mornings and evening events.
