Royal Insurance Building, 106, 110, 112 Buchanan Street, Glasgow

Thomson and Sandilands, 1897-98. Free Renaissance

4-storey commercial building. Dunmore ashlar sandstone.

Base course, ground floor cill course and cornice, and

consoled main cornice. Raised bands to angle pilasters

above ground. 3 wide bays to Buchanan Street with 9

bays on return in Royal Bank Place; full-height splayed

corner bay with ornate Jacobean doorpiece of polished

granite columns, consoled cornice and obelisk flanked

heraldic shield; decorative wrought-iron overthrow and

2-leaf gates; decorative narrow windows flanking

entrance. 1st floor windows of corner bay with segmental

pedimented heads broken by torches; carved panels above

cornices of 2nd floor windows.

BUCHANAN STREET ELEVATION: 2 recessed windows at right

with keystoned round arches and flanked by attached

columns in antis. Bronze cartouche denoting Royal

Insurance Company to right; modern shop front to centre

and left bays. Central tripartite at 1st floor, canted

consoled oriel at 2nd, with aediculed centre light;

consoled open pediments to 1st floor windows of outer

bays, and corniced bipartites to those of 2nd floor, with

carved panels above. 3rd floor windows with paired

pilaster jambs. Blocking course raised in die flanked

panel at centre with carved cartouche and obelisk finials.

Corner bay crowned by squat octagonal ashlar turret,

with cartouches, consoled cornice and facetted roof

terminating in ornate cast-iron crown.

ROYAL BANK PLACE ELEVATION: symmetrical. Consoled

cornice to doorway at centre, with urn finialled, flush

balcony to window above; centre bay surmounted by

modillioned segmental pediment flanking blocking courses,

and obelisk finials. Wallhead stack above adjoined to

octagonal tower to left.

N RETURN ELEVATION TO N COURT LANE: 2 original ashlar

bays of simple bipartites to left side at 1st, 2nd and 3rd

floors, with single lights to right, and cill courses to

each; linked wallhead stacks with moulded coping.

Recessed bays of glazed brick later addition to E.

Variety of glazing patterns to sash and case windows,

with 2-pane lower and small-pane upper sashes predominating.