Palace Theatre (Kilmarnock)

The Palace Theatre is a theater building in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire Council Area. In 1980 the building was added to the Scottish lists of monuments in the highest category A monument.

History

Originally the building was built as a covered market for the grain trade. The building, designed by the Scottish architect James Ingram was begun in 1862 and completed the following year. It created a total cost of around £ 6,600, with £ 6,000 from the business and £ 600 came from public funds. The latter were officially used for the construction of the tower, which is to commemorate the death of the Prince Consort. Ingram's son Robert in 1886 added some extensions added, including a library with reading room upstairs. In 1947 the building was converted into a community hall. The architect Gabriel Steel led the work. The conversion to the Palace Theatre took place in the 1980s.

Description

Ingram designed a building in the Italianate style. The sandstone building located at the intersection of Green Street and London Road in the center of Kilmarnock. Along Green Street, the building is 13 axes far. All openings of the two storey building are decorated with arches, which are much flatter on the ground floor as the first floor, where they are decorated with keystones. Pilasters flanking the windows on the upper floor, the optically separating a string course. On the ground floor is also a ribbon in ashlar sandstone running around. A balustrade adorned with the final roof.

The four-story Albert Tower rises from the northwest corner. The octagonal tower stands in stylistic harmony with the rest of the building architecture and is also decorated with cornices and arched windows. Massive corbels support the balcony on the first floor. The keystones of the three local window centered show the Prince Consort Albert, Lord Clyde left and right Sir James Shaw. The otherwise unadorned third floor shows the coat of arms of the Burgh's Kilmarnock. Along the London Road, the building is nine axes far and is stylistically matched to the rest of the building. Various arches on the ground floor are blind. Links joins the eight axes wide cultivation of Robert Ingram from 1886.