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Museum, still in use, built in 1841 to the design of John Henderson. It was completed on 5th of May 1841 and opened in 1842 as The Museum of The Natural History and Antiquarian Society. It is one of the first purpose-built museums in Scotland. There was a library added in 1888 to the design of J Sim. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as a rectangular building within a garden enclosure. On the 2nd edition OS map, the 1888 addition is shown filling the enclosure to the west of the museum building. Current maps show the garden enclosure has been extended to the west. It is a distinctive neo-classical two-storey block, with a three-bay entrance front, constructed of fine channelled sandstone ashlar to the front, squared and snecked to rear, with raised and architraved margins. There are windows with corniced heads and geometrical glazing, panels with key-patterns, pilasters to the wall ends and a cornice to the parapet. The grey slate roof is piended. There is a central Ionic portico in antis in the east entrance elevation. The doorway has a corniced head, with 'MUSEUM' in gilded lettering beneath the cornice. There is a full-width frieze with key-pattern in the upper band. There parapet has four dies and a raised section to the centre with panels and a cornice. The library is advanced to the west of the north elevation, and has an Ionic portico in antis, with a pilastered doorway and rectangular fanlight. The flanking bays are pilastered with full-height banded rustication, and a pilastered window to the ground floor. There is a full-width frieze with a key-pattern in the upper band and a parapet with four dies. The advanced library section to the west of the south elevation has a parapet with corner dies. The library section was never fully completed, as can be seen by the west elevation being a blank brick wall with a raised stone wallhead. There is a low coped ashlar boundary wall to the south, east and north, with square-section corner piers and gate piers to the east, supporting a wrought-iron gate with geometrical and key patterns. There are cast-iron railings to the north-west, enclosing the extended garden. Part of the stone balustrade of Montrose Suspension Bridge (1828 - 1928) is erected in the garden. Inside the museum, the main exhibition hall has a galleried first floor with a diamond patterned cast-iron balustrade. The boarded walls have plaster panels with decorative louvres and cornices above a dado at the first floor. The ceiling is barrel-vaulted, with rooflights in panels. The extension to the west is approached by a flight of stairs leading to a round-arched entrance. This library extension has been converted to offices and an exhibition hall, and features cast-iron columns as roof supports and decorative cornices.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Angus
HER -
NO75NW0062 - MONTROSE MUSEUM