John Gray Centre, Haddington Building, East Lothian Property News, Project, Design

John Gray Centre, Haddington, East Lothian : Museum + Library

John Gray Centre Haddington – design by Gray Marshall & Associates Architects

30 Jan 2012

John Gray Centre Haddington

Haddington Museum + Library News

Photos taken on Sunday 29 Jan 2012

Glazed, curved facade inserted on the south side of the buildings on Lodge Street:

photos © Adrian Welch

Work on this major building restoration + redevelopment project in the town centre nearing completion, scaffold removed and hard landscaping in place. It is due to officially open in March.

The group of buildings is quite large and right in the centre of this market town, so has a significant impact oon the community.

The redevelopment is very welcome and hopefully will be followed by further landscaping improvements around the town (pending funding, as reported recently on the news page).

Frontage restored, facing east down the High Street, quite a subdued original design which doesn’t sufficiently command the street (like The George Hotel at the other end):

photo © Adrian Welch

Historic context – Jane Welsh Carlyle house on the south side of the refurbished building:

photo © Adrian Welch

John Gray Centre – News

Address: Lodge Street, Haddington

Architects: Gray Marshall & Associates

Due to open in early 2012.

The John Gray Centre is a new building which will house the Haddington branch library, the East Lothian local history centre, a museum and exhibition space, and the East Lothian archives. The Centre will be created in converted listed buildings on Lodge Street in Haddington.

Museum Design Update – Studioarc have been appointed as designers for the Museum section of the JGC.

John Gray Centre Building

£3.7m contract for new heritage centre awarded

Go ahead for creation of new heritage centreA £3.7m contract for the creation of a new archive, library, museum and heritage centre for East Lothian was approved at a Cabinet meeting in February 2010. The facility, to be called the John Gray Centre, will be created in converted listed buildings on Lodge Street, Haddington.

The John Gray Centre will house the Haddington branch library, the East Lothian local history centre, a museum and exhibition space and the East Lothian archives. The National Archives of Scotland will return the local archives to East Lothian where access to this rich collection can be further developed and promoted through an innovative approach to heritage centred on access, community involvement and education.

Community Services spokesperson, Cllr. Paul McLennan, said:

“The John Gray Centre is an exciting project that brings together well used, established council services such as the branch library for Haddington with new heritage facilities to provide a centre that will appeal to local people and visitors alike.

“It is particularly apt that the centre, which will include archives and artefacts detailing the rich history of the county will be situated in buildings which have a strong historical link to earlier commerce in the town when they served as a bank, a seed merchant’s building and a grain store built in the 19th century. In addition to the local library the facility will contain a local history centre where people can research family trees or the history of their house or village and exhibitions areas which will display both local and traveling exhibitions.”

The work will start this Spring with expected completion by Autumn 2011.

Funders other than the client ELC:
Heritage Lottery Funds (funding £1,390,000)
Historic Scotland Building Repairs Grant

Haddington Buildings

building image © Adrian Welch

Haddington Buildings / Projects – Selection

St Mary’s Church Haddington St Mary’s Haddington : photo © Adrian Welch	Haddington Town House photo © Adrian Welch
Haddington Office Building photograph : Paul Zanre	Waterloo Bistro photo © Adrian Welch

East Lothian Culture & Heritage Centre – Winner

East Lothian Council selected Gray, Marshall & Associates of Edinburgh to design a new Culture and Heritage Centre in Haddington.

In consultation with the RIAS, the winning firm was chosen from a shortlist of six architects based on design quality & cost. Architects submitting for the competition included Richard Murphy and Malcolm Fraser Architects

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