The Two Towers

I was in Greenock this afternoon just as the sun came out. The temperature was about 12 degrees warmer than yesterday.

Greenock has many fine buildings and this view looking towards the spectacular Towers of the Municipal Buildings is one I have taken before. I love the juxtaposition of the towers.

The two towers on the left are part of Greenock Municipal Buildings, with the 245 ft high Victoria Tower in the background. The clock tower is part of the Wellpark Mid Kirk.

The Municipal Buildings were a competition design won by the Glasgow practice of H & D Barclay in 1879. Work started in 1881 and at the time this project was by far the most ambitious of any kind undertaken in Scotland, with the central public hall and an internal carriage drive closely modelled on a Neoclassical style that was very popular in England. Although the facades are more Renaissance than Greek with domed corner towers and pedimented attic pavilions. This project was a great shop window for the practice, as this enabled it to ride out the severe recession of the 1880s.