Central Hall, John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

Entry Name: Central Hall, John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock

Listing Name: John Finnie Street, Central Evangelical Church

Listing Date: 3 July 1980

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 380591

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB35906

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200380591

Location: Kilmarnock

County: East Ayrshire

Town: Kilmarnock

Electoral Ward: Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse

Traditional County: Ayrshire

Tagged with: Retail store

Description

Dating from 1932-3 and designed by William Forrest Valentine. Two-storey, three-bay symmetrical former hall; Italian Romanesque detailing. Snecked and stugged red sandstone ashlar and polished dressings. Base course, shallow, recessed central segmental-arched bay with balustraded balcony, eaves course, balustrade, large, central blocking course with scrolled shoulders. Pedestrian gateways flanking the main building. Two-storey roughly contemporary range to right (shown on Ordnance Survey map of 1938).

East (entrance) Elevation: shallow recessed two-storey, central segmental-arched bay with keystone. Entrance door with fanlight, balcony with scrolled brackets above; three round-headed arched windows. Tripartite windows in end bays at ground floor level, four round-headed arched windows in end bays at first floor level. Two windows at ground floor on left return; single-storey range to rear with row of round-headed windows. Two-storey range to right: banded rustication to ground floor; wide canted corner bay, shop windows and garage door to ground floor level. Two single windows to east elevation at first floor level, single window to canted corners and five single windows to John Dickie Street elevation. Multi-pane glazing throughout. Slate roof.

Interior: not seen in 2001.

Statement of Interest

Part of the John Finnie Street A-Group. John Finnie Street is nearly a quarter mile long and was built around 1864. It provided a grand thoroughfare for the town with the focal point to the north being the railway station. Business and commerce spread to this street and rows of high quality, three-storey or more, red sandstone building were constructed. The ground floors were given over to retail, offices and accommodation were above. The street dominated the lower, narrower streets in Kilmarnock that were filled with traditional buildings. The street's architect was William Railton, who went on to design the Kilmarnock Infirmary (now demolished) and the surveyor was Robert Blackwood.

Central Evangelical Church was designed by William Forrest Valentine (1885-1957), a local architect whose practice was prolific in the Kilmarnock area.

Listed building record updated in 2024.

External Links

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