George Sutherland And Sons, 3-5 Albert Place, Galashiels

George Sutherland and Sons, 3-5 Albert Place, Galashiels

This sculptor's yard dates from the late 19th century with a further range erected in the early 20th century, followed by later additions and alterations. It comprises two near rectangular-plan ranges positioned to the northwest and southeast, with front elevations angled to align with the street. The site retains much of its original working machinery and represents a well-preserved example of a specialist stone-working business.

The northwest range is a single storey with attic, constructed in brick with a timber-clad workshop at the rear. The front elevation is glazed and whitewashed. The southwest entrance elevation displays three bays with a part-glazed timber panelled door centred at ground level, topped by a 2-pane stained and leaded fanlight and flanked by Ionic columns. Large bipartite windows with 3-pane stained and leaded fanlights occupy the outer bays, beneath full-height outer pilasters. A continuous marble frieze bearing a full-width inscription and carved decorative panels runs across the elevation, surmounted by a cornice and pediment. The southeast side and courtyard elevation contains seven bays, including a 2-leaf timber panelled door offset to the right of centre with a squat attic light above, a single window to the left of the entrance, and further single windows serving the showroom. A timber-clad workshop to the right of the entrance features a central 2-leaf boarded timber door with flanking single windows. The elevation incorporates 16-pane timber sash and case windows, plate glass and stained and leaded glazing to the front, and rooflights. The roof is grey slate with a piended form and apex finial to the southwest, though the surmounting bust is missing.

The interior of the northwest range comprises a showroom to the front with a part-glazed, ball-finialled timber panelled entrance screen, part-boarded timber walls, and a boarded combed timber ceiling over a boarded timber floor. Display shelves line the walls, including a full-width shelf above the shopfront supported by decorative iron brackets. A central entrance block contains a plain timber stair leading to an upper office with a combed ceiling. The workshop at the rear has part-brick, part-boarded timber walls and an open timber ceiling. A forge is positioned to the northeast, and the original pulley system remains intact with columnar supports, metal joists, wheels and chains.

The southeast range is predominantly timber-clad. Its southwest entrance elevation has three bays, featuring a boarded 2-leaf timber former cart door offset to the right, a bipartite window with a full-width 3-pane fanlight above, and part-glazed 2-leaf boarded timber sliding doors recessed to the left under a columnar support at a jettied corner. A boarded timber gablehead completes this elevation. The northwest side and courtyard elevation displays irregularly-spaced openings. A former tack-room at the outer right has part-glazed boarded timber doors with narrow side-panels and boarded and plate glass fanlights. Large square-headed openings serve the marble store in the bay to the left, while boarded timber doors provide access to the generator room, saw room and polishing room in the remaining bays, one with a full-height lean-to projection offset to the left of centre. Some bays retain 4-pane glazing in fixed timber windows, while others have boarded openings. A corrugated-iron pitched roof covers this range.

The interior of the southeast range includes a former tack-room with boarded timber walls and boarded 2-leaf timber doors opening to the former cart-shed to the right. A large marble store behind contains a mechanically-driven grinder and columnar pulley system. The generator room holds a diesel-powered generator set embossed "Rushton & Hornsby Ltd, Size No 6, Class HR, No 165219, Lincoln, England," with wheels and belts in place. The saw room behind contains a mechanically-driven stone cutting saw embossed "John A Sangster, Engineer, Aberdeen, Scotland," with weight, wheels and belts intact. A mechanically-driven granite polisher remains in position in the rear room.

The courtyard is part-cobbled and part-concrete, set on differing levels, and enclosed to the northeast by a single storey mono-pitched ancillary structure. A working crane is positioned within the yard.

The site frontage is enclosed by low coped walls and full-width iron railings with regularly-spaced tapering finials. Square-plan panelled gatepiers with corniced, ball-finialled caps flank a pedestrian entrance to the left of centre and vehicular entrances at centre and offset to the right. Single and 2-leaf plain iron gates with scrolled outer finials complete the boundary treatment.