Tobacco Pipe Works, 42 Bain Street, Glasgow

The Tobacco Pipe Works, located at 42 Bain Street in Glasgow, is a complex building constructed between 1876 and 1877 by architect M Forsyth of Airdrie for White's clay pipe factory. The principal facade facing Bain Street features two identical tall blocks made of distinctive red and contrasting white brick, originally connected by a lower range that included a datestone from 1877, though this link has been replaced with a modern structure of no historic interest.

The architectural style is Renaissance, characterized by elaborately detailed openings that are mostly round-headed and recessed within shallow panels, with inset pilasters that also divide the bays. The building rises four storeys with a tall attic, and each block is symmetrical, featuring a two-storey oriel window that is corbelled above the ground floor, along with central gables inspired by designs from the Low Countries. The glazing is mostly original.

The flank elevations are similarly decorated, with particular ornamentation on the southern flank facing Moncur Street. Inside, the building has timber floors supported by cast-iron columns. There is also a similarly detailed tall block at the corner of Gibson Street and Moncur Street, which is connected by a lower link. The block facing Gibson Street, although of a different date, is still constructed of polychrome brick and matches the height of the other blocks. It features arched single windows above the ground floor, recessed between giant pilaster strips, and has a series of regular bays. Additionally, there is a lower range at the rear, partly rubble-built, which is likely an earlier structure.