More than £1.5m is being invested in revitalising some of Scotland's most important historic buildings, the Minister for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced today.

The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, the Fairfield shipyard office building and Cottier Theatre in Glasgow, along with St Margaret’s Church in Oatlands, will share the latest round of Historic Scotland Building Repair Grants.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "The historic buildings around us give us a physical link to our past. The Fairfield building reflects the area’s shipping heritage, while the Cottier Theatre and St Margaret’s are former churches that are continuing to play a role in their communities. The history of a venue like the Cottier or the Assembly Rooms can add to their prestige and the impact they have on audiences.

"By investing in historic buildings we are investing in communities. Each project represents something important about the history of the cities they are in and will generate jobs and training opportunities through their repair and end uses. These are hard times for everyone but ensuring that these projects, the jobs created by them and the sustainability of these buildings will bring valuable benefits for a huge number of people."

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The Building Repair Grants scheme has invested more than £150m in the historic environment and has helped many projects find matched funding and previous recipients have included the award winning conversion of Castlemilk Stables and repairs to Abbotsford House.

Fairfield Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. has a proud history on the Clyde and the grant of £500,000 will see the completion of work by Govan Workspace to bring the office building back into use.

The A-listed office building has fallen into disrepair since it became surplus to requirement in 2001, though the yard remains in operation. Govan Workspace will use the funding to convert the building into a business centre at the heart of Govan Conservation Area. Historic Scotland supported an earlier phase of work with a grant of £500,000.

Cottier Theatre, formerly Dowanhill Church, will continue with its repairs, with a boost of £210,000 to the Four Acre Charitable Trust. The Trust began repairs to the building in the 1990’s and has received more than £995,000 from Historic Scotland in that time.

St Margaret’s Church in Oatlands will receive £500,000 for a mixed business and community end use. The 19th century church is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register and one of the most outstanding historical buildings remaining in the area.

The historic Assembly Rooms in George Street, Edinburgh has been granted £318,000 for the conservation work required as part of a wider refurbishment project. Constructed in 1783-87, the A-listed building is a key component of the New Town and Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.

The Assembly Rooms were built by public subscription, on a site given by the city, and cost over £6,000. Initially furnished by Young and Trotter, the building forms part of the original fabric of Edinburgh's New Town, one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain.

(GK/KMcA)