City Chambers, 3 Bridge Street, Dunfermline

City Chambers, 3 Bridge Street, Dunfermline

Designed by J C Walker and built 1876–79, this is a 2 and 3-storey L-plan town hall with basement, executed in asymmetrical French-baronial style. The building is dominated by a 6-stage clocktower at the north-east corner. The principal north and east elevations are highly elaborate, featuring bartizans, ogee and crowstepped gableheads breaking the eaves, and Gothic detailing throughout.

The principal north and east elevations are built in lightly stugged sandstone ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. The rear elevations use coursed stugged sandstone with polished ashlar dressings. A base course runs around the building, with a moulded band course over most of the ground floor and a moulded cill course to the first floor on the principal elevations. A moulded eaves band appears throughout, and basement windows on the principal elevations have chamfered architraves. Crowstepped gables are finished with gableted crowsteps and pinnacles with decorative wrought-iron finials at the apex and outer crowsteps. Rear windows have droved cills.

East (Kirkgate) Elevation

This elevation is built into ground sloping upwards to the north and is divided into two approximately equal sections by a central stair turret. The right-hand section comprises 6 irregular bays with a pair of band courses between the first and second floors and a curvilinear tracery parapet at eaves level. The ground and first floors have mainly 2-light mullioned and transomed windows with moulded surrounds, hood-moulded with carved central panels at the head. The outer left bay and the second bay from the right have 2-light transomed windows, while the second bay from the right also has small segmental-headed windows with moulded surrounds and projecting cills. Crowstepped gableheads break the eaves at two central bays, and an attic window with an elaborate ogee hood-mould appears in the two bays to the left.

Two central first-floor windows share a balcony, and the outer right window has a semi-oval balcony in plan. Both balconies feature curvilinear tracery balustrades with two pairs of posts surmounted by urn-like finials with coronets and two pairs of brackets below with pendant bosses and polished granite supporting shafts with foliate capitals. The shafts of the left balcony are supported on brackets carved as grotesque heads and dragons; those of the right balcony rest on two pairs of buttresses set at right angles to either side of the main entrance.

The main entrance is slightly projecting with a round-arched opening and an elaborately carved surround incorporating flanking nook shafts, foliate spandrels, and a sphinx in high relief with a ram's head as the keystone. The entrance has a 2-leaf panelled timber door. This slight projection continues upwards to a 6-light mullioned and transomed balcony window with flanking elongated nook shafts, a moulded cornice with projecting gargoyles to either side, and a crenellated parapet incorporating a coat of arms at the centre.

The 3-stage stair turret at the centre of the elevation has lower sections semi-circular in plan and an upper section that is semi-octagonal. Each stage is corbelled out over moulded and carved band courses. A high-relief torso of a man appears at the base, and a gargoyle projects from the centre of the central stage. Small 2-light transomed windows with stopped moulded surrounds appear on the outer faces. Projecting gargoyles sit at the angles of the eaves above, and the turret is surmounted by a crenellated parapet and a conical copper-clad roof.

The 6 irregular bays to the left have mainly 4-light mullioned and transomed windows with moulded surrounds and elongated nook shafts to the second floor. Three 2-light transomed windows with moulded surrounds appear towards the centre of the first floor, flanked by carved heraldic panels and outer 4-light hood-moulded mullioned and transomed windows with carved central panels at the head. The ground floor has mainly single-light windows with stopped roll-moulded surrounds. A former central pair of entrances is now an entrance with a window to the right, and a 2-light mullioned window appears to the left. Crocketed ogee-headed breaking eaves pediments incorporating cusped tracery sit above each of the four main second-floor windows, each with decorative wrought-iron finials and flanking posts with urn-like finials with coronets supported on brackets carved as grotesque heads.

At the outer left is a Caernarvon-arched entrance with flanking nook shafts, a panelled timber door with boarded panels, and a carved heraldic panel above. A 2-light mullioned window with Caernarvon-arched heads sits above, with an architraved window to the second floor. An octagonal turret above at the south-east corner has Caernarvon-arched windows with moulded surrounds to the outer faces and a small corbelled semicircular-plan balcony with a curvilinear tracery balustrade over a chamfered stepped upper section of wall at the south-east corner. Flanking posts with urn-like finials with coronets and grotesque heads as brackets below appear here. Similar short flanking balustrades appear to the turret, with projecting gargoyles to each angle at eaves level, a parapet, and a copper-clad conical roof with a decorative wrought-iron finial.

North (Bridge Street) Elevation

This elevation has 5 irregular bays with a curvilinear tracery parapet with termination posts with urn-like finials at eaves level. Brackets carved as heads of kings and queens of Scotland appear below. A hood-moulded entrance with a moulded surround and elongated nook shafts sits to the right of centre, with a cable-moulded lintel rounded at the edges, low flanking buttresses, a 2-light fanlight with an adjoining carved panel at the centre above, and a panelled timber door. Two pairs of flanking windows have moulded and stopped surrounds; these are 2-light transomed windows, apart from that to the outer right, which is 4-light mullioned and transomed. Two small windows with Caernarvon-arched heads and moulded and stopped surrounds appear to the outer left.

The first floor has a 4-light mullioned and transomed window to each of the three central bays, with moulded surrounds incorporating flanking and central elongated nook shafts with foliate capitals. The central window has a crowstepped gablehead with a heraldic panel. An oriel window is stepped out over a corbelled base with moulded and carved band courses to the outer left of the first floor. A carved torso of a medieval soldier (thought to be Robert the Bruce) appears at the base, with flanking projecting dragons above. The oriel has an 8-light mullioned and transomed window with a moulded surround with elongated nook shafts with foliate capitals to the vertical members, a carved cornice with gargoyles projecting at the angles, and a stone roof stepped back in two stages with a crocketed upper stage with a crocketed engaged finial.

An octagonal-plan bartizan corbelled out over moulded band courses wraps around the outer right corner. Squat engaged columns carved with a spiral design appear to either side of the base, each with foliate capitals and ornately carved supporting brackets. 2-light transomed windows with moulded surrounds and elongated nook shafts appear to the three outer faces. A carved corbelled eaves band sits below a crocketed gableted parapet, with a small pinnacle with a wrought-iron finial at the apex of each gablet and projecting gargoyles in between. Carved 3-sided panels appear to each face of the parapet.

Tower

The square-plan tower has a circular-plan bartizan at each corner. A crocketed and finialled ogee-arched panel appears to the lower stage of the tower on the north and east sides, with a circular inner panel of cusped tracery and cusped arcading below. Flanking engaged shafts with gableted bases are supported on grotesque heads, with foliate capitals surmounted by gargoyles.

The bartizans are corbelled out in three stages over moulded and carved band courses. Gargoyles project from the two outer cardinal points to each of the upper stages. A small window with a stopped roll-moulded surround and carved projecting cill appears above each. A plain cornice is surmounted by an open cable-moulded eaves band, with a conical copper-clad roof with a spiked ball finial surmounted by a wrought-iron weathervane.

Three louvred openings appear between bartizans, except for the west side, which has two. These are variously treated with roll-moulded surrounds, flanking nook shafts, and carvings (a carved head to the west). Bracketed machicolation-like mouldings appear above, surmounted by carved or moulded band courses and a parapet-like cornice. A dormer window with a crocketed shouldered gable with a fleur-de-lys finial appears on all except the west side, which has a wallhead stack. The dormer has a traceried window with a moulded surround and projecting cill (a small balcony supported on lions' head brackets appears to the north and east sides), with flanking projecting gargoyles.

A copper-clad pavilion roof rises to a gable-headed clock-face on each side, with a moulded band course below and flanking pairs of vertical shafts. A small pinnacle with a wrought-iron finial appears to each gable. A copper-clad pyramidal spire sits above, with a decorative wrought-iron finial surmounted by a weathervane.

West Elevation

The west elevation is stepped back in three sections. A gable end built into sloping ground projects to the left, with a moulded band course beneath the upper floor. Moulded semi-octagonal bartizans project from the upper level to either side (see the north elevation for that to the left). The bartizan to the right is corbelled out with moulded band courses, a moulded cill band, 2-light transomed windows to the three outer faces, a cornice and moulded eaves band above, and a conical copper-clad roof. An entrance with a droved chamfered surround appears to the left, with a plain timber door with a rectangular fanlight. An irregular one-and-a-half-bay elevation forms the right return.

An irregular 4-bay elevation is set back to the right, with angle quoins to the right. Architraved windows with cornices appear to the two central first-floor windows, and a 6-light mullioned and transomed window appears to the outer left of the second floor. A 4-bay section is set back to the right, with angle quoins to the right. Architraved windows with cornices appear to the first, third, and fourth bays of the first floor, and a 4-light mullioned and transomed window appears to the second floor of each bay. Small windows with cast-iron bars appear to the basement and ground floor. A slightly later one-and-a-half-storey lean-to appears to the outer right.

South Elevation

The south elevation is built into sloping ground with a single-pitch crowstepped roofline stepped back once to the left. An octagonal turret appears to the outer right (see the east elevation). The wall is chamfered and stepped out twice below the turret to the outer right (see the east elevation). A moulded band course appears across the cill of the window to the right of the upper level. A slightly later one-and-a-half-storey lean-to adjoins to the left.

The building has mainly 2 and 4-pane timber sash-and-case windows. The roof is covered in grey slate. Ashlar stacks with moulded base courses, flanking octagonal flues, and bracketed cornices appear to the west gable end, the west side of the tower, and three ridge stacks, with round cans where visible. Cast-iron rainwater goods appear to the principal elevations and PVCu to the rear. Two original downpipes with barleysugar twists and decorative hoppers cast as dragons appear to the east elevation.

Interior

The interior retains the majority of its most significant fittings and room suites. The entrance hall has an inlaid polished granite floor and an ornately carved timber fireplace. An open-well staircase with an elaborate wrought-iron balustrade with timber handrail and newel posts of Gothic design opens off to one side.

The first-floor Council Chamber has a hammerbeam roof with pendant bosses and carved brackets, a panelled timber dado, and an ornately carved timber fireplace. A timber wall clock with circular casing is mounted on brackets, and early pendant copper light fittings are suspended from the ceiling.

The Court Room has parallel roof bracing with turned and chamfered struts, decorative spiked pendant bosses, and carved heads (representing 'the passions') to the supporting corbels. Later panelling appears to the dado. An elaborate timber fireplace surround appears to the first-floor landing. Panelled timber doors appear throughout.

A cast-iron clock mechanism (probably early 20th century) and a large cast-iron bell (stamped 'John Wilson and Co, Founders') with an intact striking mechanism are located in the tower.