, which remains hanging in the old town hall The current building replaced a 16th-century
tolbooth in Tolbooth Wynd which had become dilapidated and, despite objections from the author,
Sir Walter Scott, and the antiquary,
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, was demolished in 1824. After significant industrial growth, particularly associated with the shipbuilding and repair facilities in the town, the
Leith Police Act 1827 (
7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. cxii), which provided for the "Municipal Government of the Town and Suburbs of the Town of Leith", was enacted in 1827. In this context, civic leaders decided to procure a new town hall: the site selected was on the corner of Queen Charlotte Street and
Constitution Street, the latter being the main thoroughfare to Leith Docks. The foundation stone for the new building was laid in March 1828. It was designed by
R & R Dickson in the
neoclassical style, built at a cost of £3,260 from
ashlar stone brought from
Craigleith Quarry and completed in spring 1829. The town became an independent burgh in 1833 with the town hall as its headquarters. As a consolation the people of Leith were given a new
theatre and
library complex on
Ferry Road, which for a while was referred to as the new town hall. Meanwhile, the old town hall was put to use as commercial offices until 1983 when it was converted for use as a police station. ==See also==