One of the buildings that took my eye while I was mooching around Glasgow Merchant City last Monday afternoon was what the British Listed Buildings website describes as a
Bizarrely detailed Gothic warehouse,
I think that just about sums it up! It’s relatively restrained in that there isn’t much decoration or embellishment and looks more like a later Art Nouveau or Glasgow School style building than a typical Victorian Gothic wedding cake.
I particularly liked this eyecatching
unusual semi-octagonal door head with heavily moulded octagonal oculus above.
I haven’t been able to find much information on it other than from the British Listed Buildings posting, but that does tell us that it was originally a warehouse, that it was built in 1859, and that the architect was R W Billings
Down by the Dougie 
I’m not sure how they got away with the horrible extension! We do a stop in Brunswick Street just about here on our Merchant City Women’s Heritage Walk. Abbreviated version coming up!
In the early 20th century this area was all mills and factories, including one owned by a man called Moorov who was charged with sexually assaulting several female employees. His defence was that there were no witnesses to any of the assaults, but he was convicted on the grounds that all the women gave similar evidence. Moorov’s Doctrine of Mutual Corroboration is still part of Scots Law today.
The factories would have been behind the warehouses – so who knows (not me), this could have been Moorov’s!
That’s very interesting Anabel. I’ve never really looked round the Merchant City during previous visits to Glasgow. I only had a quick wander through but spotted a few interesting buildings. You do tours? Look forward to reading your post of your abbreviated version.
I tour-guide with Glasgow Women’s Library during the summer/autumn. One more to go before the end of the season!