Friday August 9th 2024
The Hearse House, which is a category C listed building and was on Historic Environment Scotland’s list of buildings at risk.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson
Local people are invited to celebrate the restoration of the Hearse House and the launch of the Heritage Trail at a special event on Saturday 24 August.
The event starts at 10am at Penicuik Town Hall. Provost Councillor Debbi McCall will give a short presentation and the manager of the Penicuik Heritage Regeneration project(PHRP), Rod Lugg will explain more about the project before giving guests the chance to have a look at Hearse House and go on a guided walk taking in the heritage trail display panels in the town centre .
The restoration of the Hearse House in St Mungo’s churchyard and the development of the Penicuik Town Centre Heritage Trail have been key projects in the Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project (PHRP) community engagement, education and training plan.
The Hearse House, which is a category C listed building and was on Historic Environment Scotland’s list of buildings at risk. It was in urgent need of repair; the roof was in poor condition and structural movement in the stone walls was of concern. This small building was built in 1800 to house the original horse drawn hearse. The PHRP, with grants from the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Fund, restored the building, repairing and repointing stone walls in a lime mortar and using as many recycled natural slates as possible to re-roof it. This work is now complete. The adjoining churchyard stone boundary walls have been repaired and repointed and the entrance gates and railings will also be repaired.
The interior of the Hearse House now displays nine exhibition boards illustrating many aspects of Penicuik’s unique history and heritage. There is also a model of the Clerk Mausoleum, an important ancient monument situated in St Mungo’s churchyard. This will be a focal point of the heritage trail and will be open to visitors at pre-arranged times.
Walkers can also find six interpretive panels along the heritage trail in key positions in the town centre with information about historic buildings, places and people important to the town’s development over the years. A leaflet will be produced to assist visitors and residents to navigate the trail.
The interpretative panels are located:
– Within St Mungo’s churchyard
– Outside the Town Hall
– In the High Street near the old water fountain
– In The Square
– In Bridge Street outside the Pen-y-Coe Press
– On Telford Bridge at the bottom of Bridge Street
Councillor Debbi McCall says
“I am relieved and pleased that we have been able to save and restore this important part of Penicuik’s history. Giving the Hearse House a new lease of life as a base for the town centre heritage trial will enable visitors and residents to gain a valuable insight into aspects of the town’s history and heritage.
“I hope that it can be used by the schools as part of their history studies. Penicuik has a unique heritage which hopefully will now be more accessible and encourage people to delve into the history and find out more .”
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