Scws Building, 119-153 High Street, Galashiels

1-5 Roxburgh Street in Galashiels is a former department store built in 1888 by J and J Hall. This three-storey building with an attic features five bays facing Roxburgh Street and seven bays on High Street, designed in an L-plan. It showcases French Renaissance detailing, highlighted by a prominent four-stage polygonal corner tower topped with a bell-cast roof that is corbelled over the ground floor. The south end of the High Street elevation includes a four-stage square tower with a notable pedimented Ionic doorpiece and a canted oriel window on the second floor. The structure is constructed from squared buff sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings, and the ground floor features shopfronts. Decorative elements include a band course on the first floor, an eaves band course, and a blocking course at the corner bays. The windows are segmental-headed bipartite and tripartite types with moulded surrounds, along with cast iron fronted circular lucerne dormers and segmental-headed dormers. The bays facing High Street and some on Roxburgh Street are separated by full-height pilasters.

The northeast elevation facing High Street has regular vertical divisions with a mix of bipartite, tripartite, and single windows placed irregularly. The northwest elevation on Roxburgh Street mirrors the northeast elevation but is symmetrical, featuring slightly advanced end bays and a central pend with wrought iron gates. The windows are made of plate glass set in timber sash and case frames, and the roofs are covered with grey slate. A prominent wide wallhead stack is located at the south end.

Access to the interior was not possible during the survey in 2005, but it is known that the main stair has decorative tiling.