Masonic Hall (former Drill Hall), Olrig Street, Thurso

The building was designed by David Smith and built in 1873 with late 19th century additions at the rear and further alterations, probably about 1909, to convert it to a masonic hall. It is a 2-storey, 3-bay L-plan Baronial style former drill hall, built of squared coursed rubble with tooled ashlar dressings, with rendering on the rear elevation. It is set back from the other buildings of Olrig Street at the corner with Castle Street. There is a small detached stone building at rear, added before 1904, which may have housed the armoury.

The principal (northeast) elevation has a central 3-storey castellated round entrance tower and the 2-leaf curved entrance door is set in a panelled stone architrave with a crenelated lintel. There are machicolated and corbelled bartizans with slit windows on the four corners of the building and the wallhead is corbelled and crenelated. The side gabled elevations are crowstepped with rose windows (that to the northwest gable is blocked).

There is 2-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows and there are grey slates on the roof. In front of the building are low boundary walls topped by spearheaded railings, and the walls terminated in round piers with corbelled and crenellated caps.

The interior, which was seen in 2015, has some good late 19th century surviving detailing. There is timber panelling to dado height, a number of timber panelled doors and one timber chimneypiece to a room on the first floor. The stairwell which is situated at the rear of the building has decorative iron balusters and a timber rail. The coved ceiling in the former drill hall and adjacent room are probably part of the original decorative scheme. There is coloured glass in the hall, some of which has masonic symbols.