Description

Probably Gabriel Andrew, circa 1890. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay by 3-bay Flemish Renaissance office and commercial building. Red Ballochmyle sandstone ashlar; polished granite ground floor with ashlar arches surmounting. Band, lintel and sill courses; mock parapet with pedimented attic windows.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: arched door surrounds to extremes of outer bays, each with 2-leaf timber panelled doors and semi-circular fanlights, architraved arched surround surmounting leading into band course; granite below. 3 slightly recessed arched windows to central bay, pilasters between. 1st and attic floors with 2-storey, 3 & 4-light canted oriel windows to outer bays with triangular pedimented gableheads. Bipartite window to central bay of 1st and attic floors, similarly gabled head to attic.

S ELEVATION: adjoining much lower, late 20th century, 3-storey retail and office premises; blind 1st floor with central wallhead stack.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: adjoining to ground floor: much lower, late 20th century, flat-roofed office building.

N (WOODSTOCK STREET) ELEVATION: 4 semi-circular arched windows to ground floor; 3 pilastered and transomed window to each floor above; architraved triangular pedimented gableheads to attic windows.

Steeply pitched, piended grey slate roof, lead ridging, flashing and valleys. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods, concealed gutter to projecting cornice of attic storey, down pipes held within cornicing disappearing to centre of ground floor. Coursed red ashlar wallhead stack with projecting moulded neck copes to centre of S elevation, stack to centre of N elevation now removed.

INTERIOR: remodelled 1988, now forming modern building society to ground floor, office accommodation above. 2-leaf timber panelled doors to John Finnie Street doorways, leading to partially glazed inner door with heavy squared fanlight of square quarry surmounting. Some timber work surviving, skirting boards etc. Some plaster cornicing to upper offices.

Statement of Interest

Part of the John Finnie Street A-Group. John Finnie Street is nearly ? 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, 3-storey or more, red sandstone buildings 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. Not long after the street was built, Archibald Adamson noted the number of handsome buildings. This building was a branch of the British Linen Bank, a Bank of Scotland and a Bradford and Bingley branch in the later 20th century. At the present time, the building is used as the Scottish Building Society with a sheriff's clerk office above.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17791544

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.

Recommended Books

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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
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  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
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  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability