Carnegie Clinic, 65 Inglis Street, Dunfermline

Carnegie Clinic, 65 Inglis Street, Dunfermline

Designed by H and D Barclay of Glasgow and built between 1909 and 1912, the Carnegie Clinic is a 2-storey, I-plan building in free Renaissance style. Originally functioning as a health clinic and college, it is constructed primarily in sandstone ashlar, with coursed stugged snecked sandstone to the north-east gable end.

The building features mullioned and transomed windows throughout, crowstepped gables, and a distinctive pierced parapet incorporating alternating geometric shapes with stepped edges. Moulded band courses run above the ground floor and at first-floor cill level on the principal elevations (Carnegie Street and Pilmuir Street), while moulded eaves cornice and chamfered reveals to windows complete the architectural detailing.

The east elevation facing Inglis Street is 11 bays wide. The entrance, positioned left of centre, has a chamfered surround with a glazed replacement door and round-arched fanlight in a moulded surround. Flanking pairs of mullioned and transomed windows include quadripartites to the left and sexpartites to the right, with narrow transomed bipartite and quadripartite windows to the far right. The outer pairs of narrow bipartites are topped by shared moulded pedestals of double curved design, featuring a pair of paterae and thistle finial at the centre, with pendant moulding below. The first floor displays a sexpartite mullioned and transomed window to the centre, alternate quadripartites and sexpartites in the two immediately flanking bays, and quadripartites in each of the three outer bays on either side. A pediment-like gable crowns the centre, embellished with festooned panels along its base and a carved panel incorporating a miniature pediment above; flanking moulded stone urn-like finials top the gable, each mounted on a low post carved with a lion's head, with a stack at the apex.

The west elevation facing Carnegie Street contains 5 bays. A round-arched entrance with keystone and flanking free Ionic rusticated pilasters stands to the right. Above the ground floor band course sits a pediment featuring a cartouche at the centre with pilasters rising to the first-floor cill course. The entrance has a panelled 2-leaf timber door with lugged architrave and leaded fanlight. Mullioned and transomed windows fill each bay on both floors: quadripartites predominate on the ground floor (except for a sexpartite to the left of the entrance), whilst sexpartites occur on the first floor (except for a taller quadripartite to the outer right). A pediment-like gable crowns the pair of bays to the left of centre. At the centre, an aedicule with solomonic columns and putto or cartouche at the base is flanked by cartouches, with urn-like finials to either side of the gable and a smaller, differently-designed finial at the apex.

The south elevation spans 10 bays. The eaves parapet continues along 4 bays to the left. A narrow transomed bipartite window occupies the outer left of the ground floor, whilst a turreted bay with a pair of bipartites on each floor sits to the right. Two adjoining bays project slightly forward, containing sexpartites on each floor except for the lower left (which has a quadripartite and bipartite). Five bays to the right are set back, with regular quadripartite fenestration throughout, except where interrupted by a polygonal-plan stairtower with timber finial. A segmental-headed keystoned entrance marks the centre, with a 9-light window above flanked by double-transomed tripartites. A gable-end bay with an upper sexpartite projects to the outer right, while a canted bay with sexpartite and flanking bipartites extends to the left return, with bipartites on either side.

The north elevation features a gable end with a pair of narrow upper windows to the left and 9 irregular bays set back to the right. These contain mainly large single-light windows on the ground floor and quadripartites above. A canted oriel occupies the outer left, with a single-storey turret below at the gable end re-entrant. A projecting gable end to the outer right adjoins Carnegie Centre.

The roof is covered in grey slate with red ridge tiles and louvred vents at intervals, except at the west end. Wide corniced ashlar stacks with band courses are present, including one to the west ridge and a pair to the east gable-heads, with a narrow gable-head to the east elevation and round cans where they survive. The original cast-iron rainwater goods feature decorative hoppers incorporating thistle and fleur-de-lys motifs.

The current windows are UPVC replacements following the original glazing pattern.

The interior retains many original doorways with chamfered ashlar surrounds and panelled timber doors with glazed upper panels. An open well staircase with cast and wrought-iron balustrade incorporating thistle motifs rises through the south stairtower.