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Summary

Description

James Pearson Alison, 1897. Large, predominantly single storey, roughly square-plan, Arts and Crafts, asymmetrical, brick church hall with deep eaves, gabled main (SW) entrance elevation, ogee-capped belfry and canted and buttressed wing to S corner. Glazed red brick, with slim pilaster strips and decorative faience corbels to main SW elevation. Chamfered window margins with sloping cills, predominantly transomed and mullioned with trefoil-detailed heads. Segmental-arched mouldings over door and upper window to main hall. Squared entrance tower with open octagonal red sandstone bellcote and leaded roof and finial. Recessed terracotta plaque depicting tree with motto.

Rectangular-pattern leaded lights. Boarded timber doors. Graded grey slates with terracotta ridges and finials. Timber bracketed overhanging eaves with plain timber bargeboards. Paired, tall highly ornate octagonal barley-twist ridge stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: Long central corridor with glazed herringbone floor tiles and cast-iron grilles; halls off. Large main hall with arched metal I-beam roof trusses supporting plain timber-boarded roof; tiled window surrounds; timber panelling to dado height; 3 large ornately carved iron heating grilles; stage and balcony. Timber stair with turned banisters to upper balcony. Canted-end Boys Brigade chapel with ornate dentil-detailed carved timber roof structure supported on stone corbels; stained-glass window by Lillian J Pocock, 1947. Small hall with timber boarding to dado height and full-height folding timber partition screen. Plain cornicing. Plain timber chimneypieces.

Statement of Special Interest

Located behind Wilton Parish Church, between Dickson Street and Wellfield Road.

Wilton Church Hall is a fine Arts and Crafts hall, by Hawick's most prominent architect. It is built in deep-red-glazed brick, a material that is very unusual for the area. The hall has some finely detailed elements: the Tudor-styled barley-twisted octagonal-topped chimneys are of particular note. The halls make a striking contribution to the streetscape and form a strong pairing with the adjacent and related Wilton Parish Church (listed separately), which was built in 1860 by J T Emmett of London, with major additions by J P Alison in 1908-10.

James Pearson Alison (1862-1932) had commenced practice in the town in 1888 and remained there until his death in 1932, during which period he was responsible for a large number of buildings of widely varying types and styles, including many of Hawick's listed structures. Alison is remarkable for being able to successfully design in a wide variety of styles and Wilton Church Hall is a good example of this ability, being unlike anything else he built in the town.

References

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