A fundraising campaign has been launched to help secure the work and future of a historic Burgh Halls building. 

Maryhill Burgh Halls opened in 1878 and acted as a social hub of the independent police burgh North West of Glasgow until it closed in the 1960s. 

In 2004, a passionate group of local residents formed Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust formed and raised over £9 million to restore the B listed-Victorian halls as a vibrant hub for Maryhill.

The reborn Halls complex is now home to Maryhill Museum, which holds a collection of local historical objects and an archive, as well as in-house Community Café and businesses such as a nursery, recording studio and specialist children’s music school. The Burgh Halls also provide tours of the building and free walking tours of the Maryhill area.

However, “after over a decade of constant use by thousands of visitors, tenants, and community members”, the Trust says the Burgh Halls “are starting to show their age”.

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The Trust says it is facing mounting maintenance costs as it continues to work to preserve the historic building - including £66,000 spent on an urgent replacement of the building's ageing boiler system, along with “higher than expected” costs to operate the Halls and other priority repairs and upgrades looming on the horizon such as replacing the sprung Hall floor to repairing the windows.

As a result, it has appealed to the local community to help it fund the critical maintenance and renovations required to future-proof the building and “preserve Maryhill Burgh Halls for subsequent generations to enjoy and benefit from”. 

Gemma Wild, Trustee of Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust, told The Herald: “I’m really proud to be a trustee of Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust, but our historic community building in Glasgow faces financial challenges amid the current economic climate.

“There are many complexities involved in the repairing and maintaining of historic structures while ensuring their relevance and viability. Maryhill Burgh Halls was rescued from demolition in 2004 and went through a successful community-driven restoration which transformed it into a vibrant local hub, reopening to the public in 2012.

“However, as a small, independent charity, we're feeling the impact of rising costs, so we're asking for the help of our beloved local community to maintain this vital space. Their support, no matter the amount, is crucial in helping us continue our mission. We’d also love to partner with other business and organisations in the area to work together for mutual support.”

News of the fundraiser comes weeks after the community of Maryhill came together at Maryhill Burgh Halls to celebrate the officialisation of the Maryhill flag, which entered the history books as the only flag recognised for urban area in Scotland.

Lord Lyon Dr Joseph Morrow - the heraldic authority in Scotland - was on hand to hand over the Letters Patent of the Maryhill flag to two members of the local community at the Victorian halls.

This official document was inscribed by a calligrapher with the flag design hand-painted on its surface, and it makes the symbol a legal entity in its own right that can be flown alongside the Saltire.

Dr Morrow said: “I was delighted to have the honour to launch the new Maryhill Flag by the presentation of the Letters Patent granting the flag to the community.

"The occasion was a celebration of the people of Maryhill and their strong value of community. This Flag is a sign of the future of Maryhill.”

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In 2020 a competition was launched to design a flag for Maryhill, with the winning design chosen by the public and unveiled in October 2021.

Since then, the people of the area have embraced their flag using it for everything from displays to protests and even a tattoo design.

The flag was designed to represent a narrowboat on the Forth & Clyde Canal with two blue bands representing the canal and the river Kelvin, red alluding to community passion, and black symbolising Maryhill’s industrial past.

The flag encapsulates the origins of the area which developed as we know it today from the late 18th century when the Firth & Clyde Canal opened. The canal attracted industries and communities to Maryhill, and by 1856 the town became an independent police burgh before being absorbed into Glasgow in 1891.

To contribute to the fundraiser to future-proof Maryhill Burgh Halls, visit https://justgiving.com/page/mbht