Clyde Port Authority, 16 Robertson Street, Glasgow

The Clyde Port Authority building, located at 16 Robertson Street, Glasgow, was designed by Sir J J Burnet and constructed in two phases: 1883-86 and 1905-8. It is a landmark building executed in Beaux Art Renaissance style, notable for its fine sculptural detailing by Albert Hodge. The building has three main storeys, a basement, and an attic. The lower portion is built with a polished granite base, with rusticated ashlar stone to the ground and first floors, and polished ashlar above.

The 1883-86 section comprises five bays facing Robertson Street. It features round-arched openings on the ground floor, with a central loggia entrance flanked by two projecting, boldly modelled ships’ prows. Above, a pedimented first floor is surmounted by a tetrastyle temple frontispiece, decorated with exotic composite capitals and an elaborately sculpted pediment featuring a central Neptune sculpture. Tall windows with mullions and transoms are located on the second floor, with the central windows being taller.

The 1905-8 extension attaches four bays to the south gable, following the design principles of the earlier block. A prominent circular corner is incorporated, featuring a pilastered drum, a dome, and a crowning cupola. Details are consistent with the first phase, including engaged columns paired at the corner, each with an oculus above the second-floor windows. The surrounding entablature has high-quality sculpture in the capitals and bold sculptural decoration at the upper levels, including figures of Watt, Telford, and Henry Bell (commissioned in 1907). Two large sculptures frame the dome (1908).

The interior of the building is exceptionally well-preserved, with elaborate Edwardian detailing. The Ionic dome detail of the loggia is echoed in the entrance hall. A large business hall at the rear features engaged Pascal-type banded Doric columns and a boldly coffered ceiling. The staircase has ceramic tiled walls, cast-iron balusters with regular out-flankers, and a screen at the second floor (now filled). This leads to an elaborate eight-bay corridor (offset to the south), incorporating pendentive domes on engaged columns with subtle variations in the two sections.

The Trust Hall is a domed, circular meeting hall with three windows facing the street, opposite three boldly columned bays with nautical details. Stencilled decoration and floral swagged plasterwork adorn the dome, and stained glass is present in the upper lights. The Board Room, situated within the original frontispiece, is panelled to a height of approximately 10 feet, with embossed paper on the upper walls. The ceiling is painted and panelled, and large sliding doors with elaborate hinges lead to rooms on either side. A ship is carved above the chimney piece, and an original screen remains (capable of being raised or lowered). Stained glass is also found at the upper lights in this room. Two committee rooms and a dining room are handsomely detailed with paneling. All rooms retain their original furnishings. A tall brick flue is visible externally, featuring a corbelled coping.