The new face of Perth’s oldest inhabited building has been unveiled after a painstaking restoration process.
Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust has received the sum of £750,000 from Historic Scotland to spend on historic buildings over the whole of Perth City Centre and Bridgend from 2015-18.
Originally the home of town clerk Robert Graham, the elaborate door surround has the date 1699 and the initials of Graham and his wife, Elspeth Cunningham, carved into the pediment.
The old name for the entry to the building was Kings Arms Close, a reference to the public house that was situated behind the house until the end of the 19th Century.
Renovations included conservation of the structure, repairs to the roof, sash and case windows and shop fronts and the masonry. The building housed the Conservative Club at one time and Victorian shop fronts were added at street level before time took its toll.
One of the biggest changes to the building’s appearance has been the removal of the failing cement render.
It has been replaced with a traditional lime harl and finished with a bright ochre limewash, which was a conventional finish and colour for buildings of this period.
Chairman of PKHT Sue Hendry said: “It adds a totally new dimension to the foot of the High Street and enables us to see the building in a way I’m sure many of us had never expected. This just shows some of the wonderful possibilities the City Heritage Fund can offer.”
The owner of 13 High Street, Duncan Cameron, said: “It’s lovely to see this wonderful old building back to being a handsome feature of the High Street.
“The extensive work with traditional skills and materials has ensured its place on Perth’s heritage map for generations to come.”
The Historic Scotland funding is being used to help enhance the conservation areas in central Perth and across the Tay at Bridgend over the next four years.