Description

Alexander Thomson, 1863. Commercial building extended in 1864 in similar style to S, in Dunlop Street W only 3 bays remaining. 4-storey and attic, fine essay in wood-encased, masonry-concealed cast-iron framing, with Egyptian details. Painted ashlar. Modern shop fronts at

ground with frieze and 1st floor cill course.

1863 DESIGN: 10 bays with curved corner. Pilastered windows with Anthemion detail at 1st floor with chip carving to lintels. Applied, tapering cast-iron columns with wing-like capitals between 1st and 2nd floors. Decorative cast-iron balcony jettied at 3rd floor. 3rd floor windows divided by stone pillars with tapered necks, chip-carved and with capitals. Frieze with discs and cornice. Parapet with square finialled dies, divided by decorative cast-iron railings. Ashlar panel at angle inscribed "Buck's Head Buildings" and crowned by a buck couchant statue. Gabled dormer windows to each bay, set back between dies.

1864 EXTENSION: further 3-bays to Dunlop Street (remnant of warehouse), slightly advanced. Detailed as above, but with giant pilastrade between 1st and 2nd floors, with anthemion necking (no applied columns), and Greek-key chip-carving in frieze to 2nd floor (no balcony). 3rd floor windows narrower than those above and with broad, chip-carved pilasters dividing and paired capitals to each. Casement windows to 2nd and 3rd floors and top hoppers at 1st floor.

Statement of Interest

Built on site of former Buck's Head Hotel. Forms a watershed in structural logic, iron-framed (McConnell's patent) and disguised yet with applied IRON columns. Thomson's warehouse designs made reference to those of David Hamilton. Similar ornament was employed earlier by Thomson at Grosvenor Building (1859) and the Cairney Buildings (1860), and later at the Grecian Building (1865) and the Egyptian Halls (1871-3), Glasgow. The modern extension to S in Dunlop Street has followed the 1864 design in a more severe and lower key.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17578456

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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