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Beith Townhouse
Beith Townhouse is a municipal building in The Strand, Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as an information and heritage centre, is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in Beith was a tolbooth in The Strand which was completed in 1636. It accommodated prison cells on the ground floor and the parish school on the first floor. Both the prisoners and the schoolchildren were transferred to Braehead in 1768 and the building was subsequently used as stabling for the horses of customers staying at the Saracen's Head Hotel. By the early 19th century, the tolbooth was in such a dilapidated state that a group of local merchants led by William Wilson decided to raise money by public subscription with a view to erecting a new building on the same site. The foundation stone for the new building was laid on 22 May 1817. It was designed by William Dobie in the Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical style, built in painted ashl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beith
Beith is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) after its ''Court Hill''. History Name Beith's name is thought to emanate from Ogham, which is sometimes referred to as the "''Celtic Tree Alphabet''", ascribing names of trees to individual letters. ''Beithe'' in Old Irish means ''Birch-tree'' (cognate to Latin ''betula''). There is reason to believe that the whole of the district was covered with woods. The town of Beith itself was once known as 'Hill of Beith' as this was the name of the feudal barony and was itself derived from the Court Hill near Hill of Beith Castle. Alternatively, Beith may be derived from Cumbric ''*baɣeδ'', 'boar' (Welsh ''baedd''). The local pronunciation of the name would favour this theory. The Wood of Beit, now the 'Moor of Beith', has been identified as an Arthurian sit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
