The oldest part of the complex is the tower which formed part of house known as Blairquhanes Place. The house was designed in the
Scottish medieval style, built in
rubble masonry and dated back to the 16th century. The tower was originally surmounted by a
balustrade and a
pyramid-shaped roof with a clock. Internally, there was a
lock up on the ground floor and a courtroom on the first floor. In October 1674,
John Kennedy, 7th Earl of Cassilis, acquired the house, demolished much of the original structure, and converted the tower for use as a
tolbooth: further repairs were commissioned by
Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis in the late 18th century, and the tower was
crenelated in 1812. The design of the extension involved an asymmetrical main frontage with four bays facing onto the High Street. In the second bay from the left there was a segmental headed doorway with a
fanlight and
hood mould flanked by
brackets supporting a balustraded
balcony with
finials; on the first floor, there was a tripart
mullioned and
transomed window with a
stepped gable above. The other bays were fenestrated by mullioned and transomed windows in a similar style and, at the left-hand corner, there was a
bartizan with a
conical roof. Internally, the principal room was an assembly hall with capacity for 150 people. The building continued to serve as the meeting place of the burgh council for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged
Kyle and Carrick District Council was formed in 1975. In April 2022, contractors started a programme of refurbishment works which was costed at £1.2million and funded by the
Scottish Government, the
National Lottery Heritage Fund,
Historic Environment Scotland,
South Ayrshire Council and the North Carrick Community Benefit Company. The works, which included a new entrance on the northeast side, a new roof for the tower and masonry repairs as well as internal re-wiring, were scheduled to be completed in February 2023. ==See also==