Glasgow, 119 Sauchiehall Street, Watt Brothers
Office (20th Century), Shop (20th Century)
Site Name Glasgow, 119 Sauchiehall Street, Watt Brothers
Classification Office (20th Century), Shop (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Bath Street; Hope Street; Sauchiehall Lane
Canmore ID 144625
Site Number NS56NE 755
NGR NS 58806 65755
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/144625
- Council Glasgow, City Of
- Parish Glasgow (City Of Glasgow)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District City Of Glasgow
- Former County Lanarkshire
The former Watt Brothers Department Store was recorded by the Threatened Buildings Survey on 26th August 2022. The survey was prompted by proposals for the re-development of this prominent site.
Watt Brothers opened a shop at 119 Sauchiehall Street in 1915. Alec S Heathcote of Manchester had designed the imposing corner building in 1914. In 1929, A Graham Henderson of Keppie and Henderson designed a large extension to the existing premises. This distinctive new block was on the corner of Bath Street and Hope Street linked to the original shop by a bridge over Sauchiehall Lane. This meant that Watt Brothers stretched from Sauchiehall Street to Bath Street along Hope Street. During the 20th century Watt Brothers expanded to a total of 11 Department Stores but in October 2019 the company went into administration and all the shops closed.
2-part offices and department store with linking archway. 4-storey classical corner building, 3- by 8-bays, with podium-effect and with twin Italianate towers to Sauchiehall Street. Lower floors united materially with glass curtain wall to street (display windows) with fluted dividing metal frieze and deep polished granite fascia above 1st floor, creating apparently airy podium for more solid super-structure. 2nd and 3rd floors united in red sandstone ashlar with channelled pilaster strips and giant order piers between floors dividing bays, entablature (mutuled cornice) and blocking course.
