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Market building, in commercial use, built by Alexander Fraser in 1826-27 with the tower built in 1827 and the spire completed in 1856, with later alterations. It was originally called The Market House and was commissioned by Captain Barclay-Allardice. Its function as the County Buildings had ended by 1897 when the first floor had become the Royal Hotel. This space was subsequently taken over by the Unionist Club. The spire bell was made by John C Wilson of Glasgow, and the clock, paid for by public subscription, was made by Breckinridge and Son of Kilmarnock. It is a two-storey and attic, seven-bay, piend-roofed, plain, classical red granite ashlar market building with a band course dividing the floors, round-arched arcaded opening to the ground and voussoirs. The grey slate roof has coped granite stacks with polygonal cans. The east elevation has a projecting pedimented centre with a tower and spire. The centre bay has a two-leaf panelled timber door and semicircular plate glass fanlight giving way to a single window below a further small horizontal window, surmounted by a shallow pediment the breaking wallhead and surmounted by the tower. Flanking the centre are arcaded bays with a variety of shop doors and windows and loggias to the outer bays. The first floor has regular fenestration and later pedimented dormers flank the centre bay. The 130 feet (40 metres) four-stage tower has a polygonal plinth giving way to an anta order rotunda, including four-timber-louvered, round-arched openings and surmounted by a cornice, an octagonal clock stage and a timber-columned, pedimented top stage surmounted by a polygonal spire with a ball finial and decorative ironwork weathervane. The north elevation has a loggia at the ground comprising three segmental-arched openings. A blocked window to the centre at the first floor gives way to a shouldered wallhead stack. The south elevation also has a loggia at the ground, comprising three segmental-arched openings, later fenestration within and large pall stones to the interior angles. A single window to the centre at the first floor similarly gives way to a shouldered wallhead stack above. The west elevation has a ground floor arcade comprising open arches to loggias at the outer north and south bays, the remainder with a variety of later shop fronts. The first floor has near-regular fenestration with some additional small windows and two later box dormers. The first floor Unionist Club interior was renovated in the 1980s, but retains a part-glazed screen door, some decorative plasterwork cornicing, a consoled keystoned arch, timber dadoes and architraved doors and a staircase with a timber handrail and enclosed balusters.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)