An historic building located between the High Street and St. Andrew Street in Dalkeith, the Corn Exchange now serves as the administrative offices for the Melville Housing Association and is also home to the museum of the Dalkeith Historical Society. This Tudoresque gabled construction was the work of the architect David Cousin, occupying the site of the former fleshmarket and cost almost £3000 to build. This was the largest grain market in Scotland when it officially opened on 10th August 1854, implying the significance of Dalkeith as a market town.
The development of the railways brought a decline in its agricultural use as farmers took their grain into Edinburgh for sale, but the building continued to play an important role in the social, cultural and political life of Midlothian, finding other uses for public meetings, banquets, dances, concerts, exhibitions and lectures. William Gladstone addressed 3000 people from the balcony in 1879 during his 'Midlothian Campaign', while Winston Churchill spoke to a crowd of 1000 in 1904. It was used by the army during both World Wars and served as the Empress Ballroom in the 1950s, then as a factory and later was used for storage.
Category A-listed owing to its architectural and historical importance in 1972 and threatened with demolition in the 1990s, the building was completely restored at a cost of £3.8 million to its current use in 2013 with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland. The double hammer-beam roof and extensive roof-lights were retained, originally designed to provide an open well-lit trading space without structural interruptions. The interior space is now divided into white-painted office pods. The award-winning restoration was re-opened on 29th June 2016 by HRH The Duke of Gloucester.
