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Corn Exchange, Kelso

Coordinates: 55°35′55″N 2°25′56″W / 55.5987°N 2.4322°W / 55.5987; -2.4322
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Corn Exchange, Kelso
Corn Exchange, Kelso
LocationWoodmarket, Kelso
Coordinates55°35′55″N 2°25′56″W / 55.5987°N 2.4322°W / 55.5987; -2.4322
Built1856
ArchitectDavid Cousin
Architectural style(s)Jacobethan style
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameCorn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso
Designated2 July 1980
Reference no.LB35859
Corn Exchange, Kelso is located in Scottish Borders
Corn Exchange, Kelso
Shown in the Scottish Borders

The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Woodmarket, Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a health clinic, a dental practice and an online publisher, is a Category B listed building.[1]

History

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In the mid-18th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company to finance and commission a new corn exchange for the town. The site they selected was on the southeast side of Woodmarket, an area where merchants originally traded in timber.[2]

The foundation stone for the new building was in July 1855.[3] It was designed by David Cousin in the Jacobethan style, built in rubble masonry with ashlar stone dressings at a cost of £3,000 and was opened in 1856. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Woodmarket. The central bay featured an arched doorway with an archivolt and a square hood mould on the ground floor and a five-part mullioned and transomed window on the first floor. The outer bays were fenestrated by tri-partite mullioned windows on the ground floor, by oriel windows on the first floor and by bi-partite mullioned windows in the gables above. Internally, the principal room was the main hall, which was 124 feet (38 m) long and 57 feet (17 m) wide,[4] and featured a hammerbeam roof and a gallery.[1][5]

The building was initially very popular and the directors claimed that "more grain is sold by the grower, in Kelso Corn Exchange, than any other building in Great Britain".[6] However, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.[7] Instead, it was used as a venue for agricultural worker hiring fairs where labours could seek work.[8] It accommodated a cinema known as the "Corn Exchange Picture House", which showed silent films from 1917 until shortly before the Second World War.[9] After the war, it became a popular events venue: performers included the rock band, The Move, in June 1967 and the garage rock band, The Troggs, in October 1967.[10]

By the 21st century, the use of the building had changed again with occupants comprising a health centre known as "Kelso Health & Wellness",[11] a dental practice known as "Gentle Touch",[12] and an online publisher known as "Texthouse".[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "Corn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso (LB35859)". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ "About Woodmarket". Scotland Starts Here. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. ^ Kelso. Vol. 14. The Builder. 28 June 1856.
  4. ^ Groome, Francis (1883). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Vol. 4. T. C. Jack.
  5. ^ "Heritage Statement: The Corn Exchange 31 Woodmarket, Kelso" (PDF). Evans Architectural. 1 April 2021. pp. 7–10. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  6. ^ The Southern Counties' Register and Directory Containing Much Useful and Interesting Information, and Very Complete Lists Connected with the Counties of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Selkirk. Kelso: J. and J. H. Rutherfurd. 1866. p. 91.
  7. ^ Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN 978-1136581182.
  8. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Kelso, 29 Woodmarket, Corn Exchange (96144)". Canmore. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Kelso Cinemas". Scottish Cinemas. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Corn Exchange, Kelso". Setlist. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  11. ^ "The Borders Menopause Clinic". Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  12. ^ "The Gentle Touch Kelso Dental Practice". NHS Inform. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Finalists unveiled for Borders Business Awards". Border Telegraph. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.