Police Station, Caledonian Road, Larkhall

Police Station, Caledonian Road, Larkhall

Built in 1901 with later alterations and additions, this is a substantial 2-storey, asymmetrical, 10-bay Police Station with an L-plan former Fire Station dated 1911 sited to the north-west.

The Police Station is constructed of stugged and snecked cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings. It features a base course, a corbel course between ground and first floor, and an eaves course. Windows have plain margins with panelled detail between floors, and the building is finished with long and short quoins.

The principal (west) elevation is grouped in bays of 6 and 4. The 6-bay block to the right displays near-symmetrical proportions with a shouldered architrave doorpiece at ground level in the central bay, surmounted by a bracketed cornice with a bracketed triangular pediment and panel above. The deep-set replacement timber door has a rectangular fanlight. Windows at ground level with convex curved pediments at first floor flank this feature in two bays. Full-height, 3-light canted windows are set in recessed panels with centred square panels above, beneath crowstepped gables in two further bays; wallhead stacks sit to the inside of each gable. A window at ground with a round-arched pedimented window below a crowstepped gable occupies the bay to the right. A corbelled and parapetted round angle-bay at the outer right contains 3 small square windows arranged to the curve.

The single-storey, 4-bay block to the right features a 3-stone flight leading to a round-arched Gibbsian doorpiece within an advanced gabletted bay at the outer right. A deep-set modern timber door has a blocked semicircular fanlight above. A bracketed cornice supports painted armorial and date panels flanked by pilasters and scrolls, with an elongated scrolled pediment above. Three windows occupy the remaining bays to the left.

The rear (east) elevation is regularly fenestrated across 7 bays with gables at each end. A central mullioned and transomed bipartite stair window is present. A 4-stage steel box girder fire rescue training tower stands against the gable to the right, fitted with timber-slatted rescue platforms to each stage and an access ladder to the right-hand side.

Windows throughout are predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case, with small-pane timber sash and case windows to the rear. The roof is covered in grey slate with ashlar-coped wallhead stacks to the west and multi-flue stacks to the rear. An ashlar skew dresses the south gable. Cast-iron rainwater goods include decorative hoppers and attachments.

The entrance is flanked by three pairs of square-plan sandstone ashlar gatepiers. The outer flanking pairs feature raised panels and angle balusters beneath swept pyramidal caps with small pyramidal finials. The central pair is similar but plainer. A low squared rubble wall with ashlar cope is fronted by wrought-iron Art Nouveau-style railings incorporating oval stylised thistle panels.

Interior access is limited, but visible features include architraved, timber-panelled doors and decorative barleysugar banisters with timber handrails.

The former Fire Station, now used for garaging, is a 2-storey, 2-bay, near-symmetrical crowstepped-gabled building in L-plan form. It is constructed of stugged and snecked cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings, featuring a base course and a stepped hood mould at first floor level.

The principal (west) elevation of the Fire Station displays a wide architrave to a centred fire engine bay with a roll-moulded, shouldered border and dentilled cornice, fitted with part-glazed timber multi-leaf folding doors. Two bipartite windows are evenly disposed at first-floor level with a square panel set between above. A vestigial wallhead stack rises to the outer right of the crowstepped gable.

The south side elevation has an advanced blank gabled wall to the outer right with a window at first floor to the left return. A bipartite window with a round relieving arch occupies the ground floor in the bay to the left.

Windows are 12-pane timber sash and case. The roof is grey slate with an ashlar skew to the south gable, finished with cast-iron rainwater goods.