A fine A-listed building in the pedestrianised Queensberry Square in the centre of Dumfries, Trades Hall was the work of local architect Thomas Boyd in 1804-06. The five-bay three-storey ashlar building features a central section which stands proud of the rest and is capped by a pediment. The ground floor was originally an arcade, but this was enclosed in 1847 and is now occupied by shops.
This was the home of the Seven Trades of Dumfries, a body which since Mediaeval time had jealously guarded its privileges, including monopolies on trade and the right to appoint town councillors. They lost their seats on the Town Council in 1833 and their other privileges were removed by an Act of Parliament in 1846, having been found to be a restriction on trade.
