Tolbooth Art Centre
Museum
High Street, DG6 4JL, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
About
A Grade A listed building dating from 1625-1629, originally serving as the Town Council meeting place, Burgh and Sheriff Court, and prison. The Tolbooth now hosts contemporary art and craft exhibitions on its first floor, with a permanent ground-floor exhibition on the building's remarkable history. Notable prisoner: Captain John Paul (later John Paul Jones, founder of the American Navy). The building was also a filming location for the cult classic "The Wicker Man" (1973). Features an original clocktower, cell gate hinges, and jougs (prisoner's collar) on the outside wall.
Contact
Amenities
Café
Shop
Restrooms
Cultural Context
Cultural Significance
One of the finest surviving 17th-century tolbooths in Scotland, now a vibrant contemporary art space bridging four centuries of civic and creative life.
Historical Notes
Built 1625-1629. John Paul (later John Paul Jones) was imprisoned here in 1770 for allegedly causing the death of a sailor. The Wicker Man was filmed here in 1973.