Midsteeple, High Street, Dumfries, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway

Entry Name: Midsteeple, High Street, Dumfries

Listing Name: High Street, Midsteeple

Listing Date: 11 July 1961

Category: A

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 362752

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB26215

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Dumfries, High Street, Midsteeple

ID on this website: 200362752

Location: Dumfries

County: Dumfries and Galloway

Town: Dumfries

Electoral Ward: Nith

Traditional County: Dumfriesshire

Tagged with: Townhouse

Description

Tobias Bachup of Alloa, based on design by John Moffat of

Liverpool. Built 1705-7; walls largely re-cased by James

Barbour, 1909. Free standing rectangular-plan 3-storey

Town House; square clock tower at E end of short N wall

rises 3 undiminishing stages higher, with louvred ogival

leaded cupola. Polished red ashlar, channelled at ground;

rusticated quoins; string courses divide floors and tower

stages; windows mostly aproned, corniced at 1st floor

and in bolection-moulded architraves; 2nd floor windows

margined; pierced wallhead parapets; square flues over

W wall-head now removed. E long wall painted above

re-cased ground floor. Main entrance on 2-bay S end wall;

pedimented 1st floor doorway - also by Barbour - replaces

circa 1830 porch and is loosely based on original design; bolection-moulded but with pilasters and frieze added;

forestair in re-entrant angle, behind balustraded low shop,

and platt (with shop below and enlarged window)

have elaborate wrought-iron ravel (balustrade) by Patrick

Sibbald of Edinburgh, smith; repaired, probably by Barbour;

2 large stone crests (Royal Arms of Scotland and St Michael)

central on S wall. Interior gutted 1970. Single adjoining

bay to N is sympathetically detaited; straggle of shops

beyond (formerly police office) excluded from listing.

Tower: forestair basket-arched door to internal wheel

stair (stair lights above); N and W elevations relatively

plain; remaining elevations with oculus in 5th stage;

square panel to each elevation of top stage, with clock

face to N and to S. Cupola now stripped of leaded crockets,

but with louvred lucarnes.

Statement of Interest

The committee had first sought to engage "James Smith (or)

James Smith his nevvy" (nephew). Smith - who by then had

probably the country's premier architectural practise -

failed to appear, presumably because of work pressures

elsewhere. Moffat visited Glasgow to examine the tower there

for reference. The extent of Bachup's contribution to the

composition is uncertain; the tower and its distinctive

cupola is of the type which Moffat saw at Glasgow College,

and which Bachup appears to have already built at Stirling.

Bachup was also employed at Hopeton House in 1706.

2 inscribed stones re-set on W wall - one inscribed

"A/LOR/BURN" (Town motto) - said to be from old town jail.

External Links

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