The Tolbooth

View from Mar Place. The new tolbooth which faces onto Broad Street was built in 1703-5, extended in 1785 and again between 1806 and 1811 when a jail and courthouse were added. Prisoners were held in the tower and hung outside the building for the worst crimes. Some of the victims were said to of been buried under the foundations... Conditions in the prison were condemned by the government inspectors in early 1800's as the worst in Scotland. The Town Council continued to hold meetings in the Tolbooth until 1875 but by then the prison had been moved to St. John Street.' The building is now an entertainment centre.