The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Woodmarket, Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a health clinic, a dental practice and an online publisher, is a Category B listed building.[1]

Corn Exchange, Kelso
Corn Exchange, Kelso
LocationWoodmarket, Kelso
Coordinates55°35′55″N 2°25′56″W / 55.5987°N 2.4322°W / 55.5987; -2.4322
Built1856
ArchitectDavid Cousin
Architectural style(s)Jacobethan style
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameCorn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso
Designated2 July 1980
Reference no.LB35859
Corn Exchange, Kelso is located in Scottish Borders
Corn Exchange, Kelso
Shown in the Scottish Borders

History

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In the mid-18th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company to finance and commission a new corn exchange for the town. The site they selected was on the southeast side of Woodmarket, an area where merchants originally traded in timber.[2]

The foundation stone for the new building was in July 1855.[3] It was designed by David Cousin in the Jacobethan style, built in rubble masonry with ashlar stone dressings at a cost of £3,000 and was opened in 1856. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Woodmarket. The central bay featured an arched doorway with an archivolt and a square hood mould on the ground floor and a five-part mullioned and transomed window on the first floor. The outer bays were fenestrated by tri-partite mullioned windows on the ground floor, by oriel windows on the first floor and by bi-partite mullioned windows in the gables above. Internally, the principal room was the main hall, which was 124 feet (38 m) long and 57 feet (17 m) wide,[4] and featured a hammerbeam roof and a gallery.[1][5]

The building was initially very popular and the directors claimed that "more grain is sold by the grower, in Kelso Corn Exchange, than any other building in Great Britain".[6] However, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.[7] Instead, it was used as a venue for agricultural worker hiring fairs where labours could seek work.[8] It accommodated a cinema known as the "Corn Exchange Picture House", which showed silent films from 1917 until shortly before the Second World War.[9] After the war, it became a popular events venue: performers included the rock band, The Move, in June 1967 and the garage rock band, The Troggs, in October 1967.[10]

By the 21st century, the use of the building had changed again with occupants comprising a health centre known as "Kelso Health & Wellness",[11] a dental practice known as "Gentle Touch",[12] and an online publisher known as "Texthouse".[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "Corn Exchange, 29 Woodmarket, Kelso (LB35859)". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ "About Woodmarket". Scotland Starts Here. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. ^ Kelso. Vol. 14. The Builder. 28 June 1856.
  4. ^ Groome, Francis (1883). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Vol. 4. T. C. Jack.
  5. ^ "Heritage Statement: The Corn Exchange 31 Woodmarket, Kelso" (PDF). Evans Architectural. 1 April 2021. pp. 7–10. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  6. ^ The Southern Counties' Register and Directory Containing Much Useful and Interesting Information, and Very Complete Lists Connected with the Counties of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Selkirk. Kelso: J. and J. H. Rutherfurd. 1866. p. 91.
  7. ^ Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN 978-1136581182.
  8. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Kelso, 29 Woodmarket, Corn Exchange (96144)". Canmore. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Kelso Cinemas". Scottish Cinemas. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Corn Exchange, Kelso". Setlist. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  11. ^ "The Borders Menopause Clinic". Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  12. ^ "The Gentle Touch Kelso Dental Practice". NHS Inform. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Finalists unveiled for Borders Business Awards". Border Telegraph. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.