Town House, Countess Street, Saltcoats

The Town House on Countess Street in Saltcoats was built in two phases, with the main structure designed by architect Peter King between 1825 and 1826. It features a five-stage tower flanked by low recessed wings, constructed of painted droved ashlar. The wings are two storeys tall with attics, and there is a modern shop at ground level. Architectural details include a band course, one window on the first floor, an eaves course, a cornice, and a blocking course, along with a piended canted dormer. The cornice extends across the tower, forming the base of a pediment. The tower has a central pilastered doorpiece with a four-centered arch for the entrance and a raised cornice above, adorned with acroteria. Below the pediment, there is a swag over a small oculus. The upper stages of the tower are marked by set-offs, with the second and third stages featuring blind round-arched panels, and the fourth stage displaying a clock in a moulded frame on each face, along with angle ionic pilasters, a cornice, and urn finials. The octagonal lantern is topped with a facetted spire, which has been recently reduced in height.

The Town Hall, designed by Howie and Walton in 1892, showcases a Renaissance style and is also made of painted ashlar. It consists of two storeys with three symmetrical bays and an additional bay on the left. The three right bays are topped with an open pediment supported by pilasters. The entrance is located in a central shallow projecting bay, featuring a round-headed door framed by fluted pilasters and a bracketed hood. A modern shop occupies the left outer bay, while the original shop is on the right, complete with a fascia and cornice. There is a band course below and at the springing of the semi-circular headed first-floor windows. Above the central window, swags are present along with the legend "Town Hall" in a panel above, and a small sculptured pediment aligns with the head of the main pediment. The apex features scrolled acroteria, and the outer bay has a wide panelled outer pilaster. A similar first-floor window is set within a square panel. The building is topped with a cornice and balustrade, and the roof is slated, partly piended, with lead finials.