Culross Town House, Municipal tolbooth in Sandhaven, Fife, Scotland
Culross Town House is a municipal tolbooth in Sandhaven, Fife, featuring a symmetrical five-bay frontage with a double external staircase leading to a central doorway and rectangular fanlight. A three-stage clock tower rises above the structure, giving it its distinctive silhouette.
Built in 1626 to replace an earlier council chamber, the structure received its three-stage clock tower in 1783, which was designed by clockmaker Laurence Dalgleish. This addition transformed it into a visual landmark for the community.
The reception room displays wooden panels featuring the royal coat of arms of King Charles I and stone plaques honoring local nobility from the surrounding estates.
The National Trust for Scotland maintains and manages the building, providing exhibition spaces and a gift shop on the ground floor for visitors to explore. Access to the interior is straightforward during opening hours.
The building contained debtors' rooms and prison cells where accused individuals, including Lilias Adie from Torryburn, were held in dimly lit conditions. These confined spaces underground are now part of its layered history.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
