Albany Works Office, Gardeners Street, Dunfermline

Albany Works Office, Gardeners Street, Dunfermline

Designed by James Shearer in 1907 and refurbished in the late 20th century, this is a 2-storey office block on a corner site. The building comprises a symmetrical 7-bay main range with a pair of angled bays flanking it to the north and south, the northern bay forming part of a 4-bay angled wing. The architecture employs a free Edwardian design incorporating classical detailing, with coursed stugged sandstone and droved ashlar dressings throughout.

The principal western elevation features a central entrance with a moulded inner architrave and flanking attached Doric columns supporting an entablature inscribed "ALBANY WORKS". A 2-leaf panelled timber door occupies this entrance. Above the doorcase, a tall architraved window opens onto a small balcony with a simple cast-iron balustrade incorporating cross-bracing and a garlanded motif at its centre, flanked by short parapet sections. The 3 regularly fenestrated bays to either side each contain windows to both floors, with a moulded cill band to each floor. The ground floor adjoins an ashlar base course. Gabled 2-bay sections flank either side, treated as broken-bed pediments with architraved oculi at their centres. Each of these bays contains a window to both floors, linked vertically by sunk panels with moulded surrounds and relieving arches to the 1st floor windows. A slightly projecting bay adjoins to the outer left with a ground floor window and a lozenge-shaped panel to the 1st floor. A narrow taller bay at the angles to the outer left has a boundary wall adjoining at ground floor level, a corbelled 1st floor window with a recessed panel below, a centred panel to the eaves band, and a deep band above the cornice.

An ashlar base course extends across the principal elevation. Eaves bands run throughout, moulded and corniced to the principal and north elevations. Flush lintel bands extend across the ground floor and to the 1st floor where the eaves band is raised or shallow. The 1st floor windows to the principal elevation are architraved, while ground floor windows to the principal and north elevations have segmental-headed recessed inner surrounds.

The north elevation contains 2 windows to the ground floor. The east elevation shows the main range to the left with an altered entrance featuring a late 20th century glazed door set in a glazed screen to the left of centre. A small rendered addition, rising in two stages to halfway up the 1st floor, is located to the left. An entrance to the far right comprises a boarded timber door and rectangular fanlight. The fenestration is irregular. An angled wing adjoins to the right with a slightly projecting 3-bay section to its centre. The south elevation is a blank refaced gable end.

The roof is of grey slate, with piends to the north including those to the slightly projecting 3-bay section to the east elevation and the corbelled 1st floor bay to the west elevation. Five mid-pitch stacks stand to either side of the ridge. A pair of wallhead stacks are positioned to the north elevation, and one stands to the outer left of the east elevation. All stacks are coped with band courses and fitted with round cans. Original cast-iron rainwater goods are retained. Replacement timber windows comprise 3-pane casements to the ground floor and 16-pane fixed frames with top hoppers to the 1st floor.

The interior features an open-well staircase with a cast-iron balustrade and timber handrail. Panelled timber room partitions with glazed upper panels (with double glazing installed in the late 20th century) divide the 1st floor corridors. A part-glazed panelled reception area is located at the top of the staircase. A decorative leaded glass stair window is a notable interior feature.

The gatepiers and boundary wall are of coursed stugged sandstone with ashlar coping, adjoining the north end of the principal western elevation. A pair of coped square-plan gatepiers with ball finials stands to the north, with replacement gates installed.