18 Royal Crescent, Glasgow

The General, located on Royal Crescent in Glasgow, is a classical terrace block designed by Alexander Taylor between 1839 and 1851. This impressive structure features a curving façade with 57 bays, standing three storeys tall with a basement. The centre of the building is raised and advanced, flanked by four-storey, five-bay end pavilions that showcase coupled, giant Corinthian pilasters extending through the first and second floors. The exterior is constructed from ashlar stone, partly painted, with a channelled ground floor and a droved ashlar basement.

Most of the windows are sash and case, set within architraves, with some featuring glazing bars. Entrances are primarily accessed via steps that oversail the basement area. Notable features include an Ionic pilastered entry at Nos 23 and 24, which has a block pedimented window above, and projecting Greek Ionic half-fluted porticos with coupled columns at several addresses, including Nos 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, and 19, all topped with a consoled projecting cornice. The remaining entrances have cornices with shouldered architraves.

The ground floor windows are designed as tripartite bow windows with Doric pilaster mullions, while above, there are tripartite windows with stone mullions and consoled projecting cornices. First-floor windows feature single openings with lugged and shouldered architraves, aprons, and a cill band formed by the ground floor cornice. The first floor also has a consoled cornice. The second floor is distinguished by block pedimented, two-light, stone mullioned windows, with a parapet raised above entrances in the lower section.

The elevation facing North Claremont Street consists of three bays, featuring a tetrastyle Corinthian pilastrade that rises through the first and second floors. A fluted Greek Ionic portico is flanked by pedimented windows, with outer corniced windows on the first floor and a central consoled, pedimented window. A wallhead stack is present on this elevation, along with a low channelled boundary wall to the north that has symmetrical pedimented entrances.

The elevation to Kelvingrove Street comprises six bays, including a three-bay, bowed, recessed corner section. This side features corniced windows on both the first and second floors, with a pilastered entry at No 36 Kelvingrove Street. The property is also adorned with cast-iron railings.