Gatepiers, boundary walls and railings, Masonic Hall (former Drill Hall), Olrig Street, Thurso

The Masonic Hall, originally a Drill Hall, is located on Olrig Street in Thurso. Designed by David Smith, it was built in 1873 with late 19th century additions at the rear and further alterations around 1909 to convert it into a masonic hall. This two-storey, three-bay building is in the Baronial style and features squared coursed rubble with tooled ashlar dressings, while the rear elevation is rendered. It is set back from the other buildings on Olrig Street at the corner with Castle Street. There is a small detached stone building at the rear, added before 1904, which may have housed the armoury.

The principal northeast elevation showcases a central three-storey castellated round entrance tower. The entrance features a two-leaf curved door set in a panelled stone architrave with a crenelated lintel. The building has machicolated and corbelled bartizans with slit windows at each corner, and the wallhead is both corbelled and crenelated. The side gabled elevations are crowstepped and include rose windows, although the northwest gable window is blocked.

The windows are timber sash and case with two-pane glazing, and the roof is covered with grey slates. In front of the building, low boundary walls are topped with spearheaded railings, and these walls terminate in round piers with corbelled and crenellated caps.

The interior, observed in 2015, retains some notable late 19th century detailing. It features timber panelling to dado height, several timber panelled doors, and one timber chimneypiece in a first-floor room. The stairwell at the rear has decorative iron balusters and a timber rail. The coved ceiling in the former drill hall and an adjacent room likely form part of the original decorative scheme. Additionally, there is coloured glass in the hall, some of which displays masonic symbols.