General Post Office, 1-7 George Square, Glasgow

The General Post Office, located at 1-7 George Square, Glasgow, is a substantial building demonstrating a layered history of construction and expansion from the 1870s to the 1910s. Initially designed by Robert Mathieson for the HM Office of Public Works in Scotland, the original T-plan structure faced George Square, built between 1875 and 1878. A significant remodelling of the rear elevation on Ingram Street followed in 1892-4, undertaken by W W Robertson in a more elaborate style. Further enlargements and enclosure of Robertson’s work, along with alterations to the sides, were carried out by W T Oldrieve and C J W Simpson between 1914 and 1916, again under the auspices of the HM Office of Public Works. All architects were employed by the HM Office of Public Works in Scotland.

The building is constructed in polished ashlar, channelled at ground level. The George Square elevation presents a sober classical facade with projecting Corinthian columned porches. It stands four storeys high, with attic levels and five-storey end bays, comprising thirteen bays arranged as a 1-4-3-4-1 pattern. The end and central three bays are advanced and taller, featuring projecting porches supported by paired polished pink granite Corinthian columns and mutuled entablatures. The doorways are round-arched, with pilastered reveals; those in the centre have modern glazing, while the end bays have astragalled fanlights or shell niches above panelled timber doors. Windows are predominantly single-light, with tripartite arrangements at the ends. Window detailing evolves upwards: ground floor windows are architraved with round arches; the 1st floor has semi-circular pediments; the 2nd floor features consoled cornices; and the 3rd floor has lugged surrounds. All windows are sash and case with plate glass.

A mutule cornice sits above the ground floor, while blind balustrading runs along the window cills of the 1st floor. A band course at the 2nd floor features decorative incised detail. A deep, bracketed eaves cornice with a panel frieze is followed by a balustraded parapet containing die pedestals supporting urns. The advanced bays exhibit pairs of tall, square-section, rusticated stacks, with heraldic crests flanking the centre. The roofs are slate, with box dormers containing small-pane glazing.

The South Frederick Street elevation, a fifteen-bay, five-storey and attic flank, similarly features tripartite consoled doors on the right and four wide arched pends on the left, some partly blocked. All ground floor windows mirror the detailing of the main facade. A balustraded parapet with intermediate die-stacks completes the elevation.

The Hanover Street elevation replicates the South Frederick Street design, presenting a similar seventeen-bay, five-storey and attic flank with five pend entrances.

The Ingram Street elevation was significantly altered by W W Robertson (1892-4) and later supplemented by W T Oldrieve (1914-16). Robertson’s central five-storey, nine-bay block contrasts with Oldrieve’s outer bays. Constructed from materials matching the rest of the building, it exhibits a three-and-five-storey Italianate facade, divided into seventeen bays arranged as a 3-1-9-1-3 pattern. The outer bays echo the earlier detailing, while the inner nine bays are lighter and more decorative. These inner bays are grouped in threes, flanked by recessed narrow bays, and feature pilasters and vermiculated rustication. The 1st floor showcases tall, arcaded round arched windows with column mullions, accompanied by decorative sculpture in the spandrels. The 3rd floor has pilastered, multi-pane casement windows with top hopper openings. An elaborate eaves cornice with heavy decorated consoles supports a balustraded parapet. Flanking the inner bays are tall round arched pend entrances, adorned with festoon decoration and panelled timber doors, complemented by wrought-iron gates.