Lanark County Buildings

The Lanark County Buildings, also referred to as the South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters, is a local government facility in Hamilton, Scotland.

Lanark County Buildings
Lanark County Buildings
Location14 Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0AA
Coordinates55.7791°N 4.05082°W / 55.7791; -4.05082
Built1964
ArchitectDavid Gordon Bannerman
Architectural style(s)International (Modernist)
Listed Building – Category A
Designated18 November 1993
Reference no.LB34472
Lanark County Buildings is located in South Lanarkshire
Lanark County Buildings
Shown in South Lanarkshire

History

Originally the headquarters of Lanark County Council (which had previously been based at Lanarkshire House in Ingram Street in Glasgow),[1][2] between 1975 and 1996 it served the same function for the Strathclyde region's Lanark sub-region (which oversaw five smaller districts, including one for the Hamilton area based at the nearby Townhouse)[3] then for the South Lanarkshire local authority since then.[4]

Construction of the structure, which was undertaken by Laing Group to a design by the Lanarkshire County Architect, David Gordon Bannerman, in the International (Modernist) style, started in 1959;[5][6][7] completed in 1964 with a ceremonial opening by the Queen Mother,[8] the complex features a 17-storey 200 feet (61 m) office block, a separate debating chamber in a rotunda and an external plaza with fountains. Category A listed,[9] the modernist design was influenced by the United Nations building in New York City.[10][11] Glass curtain walls cover the north and south facades, with the narrow east and west sides being blank white walls.[10][12]

Occupying a prominent position where the A72 and A724 roads meet within the Hamilton West district north of the town's historic centre, its upper floors offer views over the M74 motorway, much of Lanarkshire and parts of Greater Glasgow, and in turn it is the area's tallest building (slightly higher than the numerous residential tower blocks in nearby Motherwell, although some of those have more floors)[13] and one of its most recognisable features.[11] Immediately to the east is the neo-classical Hamilton Sheriff Court building, also Category A listed.[14]

See also

References
  1. "No. 18108". The Edinburgh Gazette. 25 January 1963. p. 65.
  2. "South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters". Emporis. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. Notice of submission of alterations to structure plan | Town and County Planning (Scotland) Act 1972,The London Gazette (Edinburgh edition), 3 March 1987
  4. South Lanarkshire Council HQ, Skyscraper News
  5. Glendinning, Miles; MacInnes, Ranald; MacKechnie, Aonghus (1996). A History of Scottish Architecture. Edinburgh University Press. p. 577. ISBN 978-0748608492.
  6. "Lanark County Buildings". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. Carughi, Ugo; Visone, Massimo (2017). Time Frames: Conservation Policies for Twentieth-Century Architectural Heritage. Routledge. ISBN 978-1472489296.
  8. Queen Mother opens Hamilton's county buildings in 1964, Daily Record, 21 April 2014
  9. Historic Environment Scotland. "Almada Street, Lanark County Buildings (Category A Listed Building) (LB34472)". Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  10. Historic Environment Scotland. "Hamilton, Almada Street, Lanark County Buildings (173419)". Canmore. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  11. "Building 'inspired by Hitchcock' is celebrating its 50th anniversary". Herald Scotland. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  12. McCallum, Garry L. (27 February 2016). "The County Buildings". Historic Hamilton. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  13. Tallest buildings in Motherwell, Emporis. Retrieved 11 November 2021
  14. Historic Environment Scotland. "Hamilton Sheriff Court, Almada Street and Beckford Street (LB34470)". Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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