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Town buildings built and paid for by Colonel F. W. Grant for the Earl of Seafield in 1822-23, to a design by William Robertson. There were additions in 1899-1900 by John Fowlie, restoration work by John J. Meldrum in 1953-4 and some remodelling in 1972. The buildings combine the town hall, post office, courtroom and hotel, and there was also a ballroom. The town hall was considered to be too small at end of the 19th century, so an additional four-bay extension at the northeast end was added in 1889-1900 to accommodate a new town hall capable of holding 500 people. This was badly damaged by fire in 1951, and restored in 1953-4. Some of the materials used in constructing the town hall came from the demolished Rannas House (NJ46SE0005). The building itself has a two-storey, three-window ashlar-faced corner, facing west. The three ground floor doorways are segmentally arched, and are approached by a curved flight of steps. Above the doorways, the three first-floor windows are set in round-headed shallow recesses. There is a large central coat of arms set above the wallhead. Flanking the corner are two five-bay wings with advanced end bays. The wing with the long elevation facing northwest has a four-bay extension, added in 1899-1900. The windows in the advanced end bays are set in round-headed deep recesses, and all other first floor windows have bracketed cornices. There is a continuous band course between the ground and first floor across both the wings and the ashlar-faced corner. There is also a deep ashlar corniced eaves-band and blocking course, which is stepped above the advanced bays and supports a large Seafield coat of arms at the corner bay. The blocking course has been removed at the southwest facing Seafield Street frontage to accommodate four mid 20th century piended dormers. The southwest facing wing, that is now the hotel, has a wide segmental-headed centre entrance. A former five-bay stable court fronts Seafield Street at the southeast, joining the southwest facing hotel wing with a recessed single storey and attic wing. The stable court has a centre tall basket-arched entrance, flanked by tripartite windows in shallow recessed bays. There are small first floor former loft windows, the centre three of which are are oval. There is a segmental-headed entrance similar to the southwest facing wing in the original five-bay frontage of the northwest elevation facing The Square, but due to the extension of this wing it is no longer central. Predominantly a 12-pane glazing pattern in timber frames is used. There is a pitched slate roof with projecting eaves, bowed at the corner, and a corrugated asbestos roof with a shallow pitch to the town hall, put on during the restoration work in 1953-4 after the fire. There are coped ridge stacks. The former stable court was later in use as a mid-late 20th century garage (John N. Lawrence Garage). The interiors largely date to circa 1951-3 in the town hall and circa 1972 in hotel, although some 19th century decorative detailing is evident. There is a first floor council chamber in the bowed corner, with 1822 curved panelled doors in reeded doorpieces, and a plaster ceiling rosette. The council chamber is reached by a 1951-3 imperial staircase, with a surviving Greek key-pattern dado and banding to top light, and a niche with a marble statue of Venus. All other rooms in town hall remodelled in 1951-3. The hotel has a 19th century dog-leg staircase with a decorative cast-iron balustrade and a southeast facing lounge at the first, floor with beaded panelled window shutters and moulded door cases. There are also two, two-storey and attic rectangular plan wings adjoining the rear of the hotel at the northeast. One was built in 1822-23, and was rebuilt in remodelled in circa 1972. The second was built in the late 19th century, and also remodelled in circa 1972. Later residential properties, Nos. 12A-12C Reidhaven Street have been built within the former garden grounds to the northeast. A standing building survey of one wing of the hotel was carried out by MAS in April 2016 prior to its demolition and replacement. The wing was on the footprint of the 1822 stable court, but it had been largely rebuilt in 1972 and little original fabric remained.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ56NW0027 - TOWN HALL AND SEAFIELD ARMS HOTEL, CULLEN