Main Hospital Building

The Main Hospital Building, designed by John Starforth of Edinburgh between 1869 and 1873, is a former general hospital that is part of the former Royal Infirmary for Dumfries and Galloway. This building features a long, symmetrical 15-bay pavilion plan in the North Italian late medieval style and is set back from the roadside on a stone terrace. It is primarily constructed of bull-faced red ashlar with polished dressings and stringcourses that divide the floors. The openings are mainly round-arched with plate tracery and shouldered heads. Later extensions, mainly added after 1914, are attached to the rear and are not considered of special interest.

The principal elevation faces west and showcases a tall three-storey, three-bay gabled and balustraded central block, flanked by arcaded secondary entrances that are now blocked. The building has two-storey, six-bay wings with full-height square pavilions at the outer corners, topped with pyramidal roofs. The main doorway is tall and located in the gabled central bay, featuring sidelights and a balcony above. A large first-floor window with looped tracery is flanked by carved figures created by sculptor John Currie of Dumfries.

The roof is piended with symmetrical stacks enclosed by a pierced parapet, and the wings originally had entrances with open galleries above, which have since been glazed. Decorative cast iron roof cresting adorns the building, and it predominantly features small-paned glazing in timber sash and case windows, with slate roofs.

The interior layout retains its pavilion structure, although the ward interiors have undergone extensive alterations. The main staircase still has its cast iron balusters, and several panelled doors remain.