1897, with later additions · 69 High Street · Category C, HES reference LB50692
Andrew Black’s richly detailed 1897 club building preserves the architecture of organised political and social life in late-Victorian Galashiels.
Last reviewed: 17 July 2026
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Quick Facts
| Date | 1897, with later additions |
|---|---|
| Architect | Andrew Black (1862-1927) |
| Location | 69 High Street |
| Original use | Unionist Club |
| Later use | Public house, pool hall and offices recorded by HES in 2006 |
| Listing | Category C, HES reference LB50692 |
Why It Matters
The building expands the directory beyond churches, banks and municipal institutions. It shows how political affiliation, recreation, sociability and business networks acquired their own purpose-built premises. Its unusually complete plan and interior details make that social history legible.
The Story
Purpose-built clubs were important institutions in Victorian and Edwardian towns. They offered meeting rooms, recreation and networks of influence, often combining political identity with everyday sociability. The former Unionist Club at 69 High Street is a particularly expressive example.
Andrew Black designed the building in 1897. He practised in Galashiels during the 1890s before moving to Glasgow and entering partnership with Robert Miller. HES notes his later influence as a teacher of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, adding interest to this surviving work from his local career.
The three-storey front is deliberately eye-catching. Seated lions flank a bracketed, balustraded entrance; canted windows and balconies animate the middle levels; large crowstepped dormers break through the eaves. At roof level an octagonal ventilator with a weather vane gives the building a distinctive silhouette. HES sees in it a slight movement toward Art Nouveau, while the prominent dormers evoke Dutch gables.
Inside, the survival of the plan helps explain how the club functioned. The entrance retains encaustic tiles, mosaic flooring, wrought-iron gates and a glazed screen. A large timber stair is lit by leaded windows. Offices occupy the front building, while a large hall lies behind, with an additional upper hall in the raised rear section. These were spaces for administration, meetings and recreation rather than a single undifferentiated public room.
The later use as a public house, pool hall and offices continued the building’s social and recreational role, even as its political identity receded. Present use should be checked, but the sequence is a good example of continuity through adaptation.
Things to Notice
- The seated stone lions at the entrance.
- Crowstepped and scrolled dormer heads.
- Stone-balustraded balconies.
- The ornate octagonal roof ventilator and weather vane.
- Encaustic tiles and mosaic flooring at the entrance, if legitimately accessible.
- The relationship between the narrow street block and the large hall behind.
Timeline
- 1891-99: Andrew Black practises in Galashiels.
- 1897: Unionist Club completed.
- Twentieth century: Rear portions altered and extended.
- 2006: HES records use as a public house, pool hall and offices.
- Today: Recent licensing records identify the premises as Reivers; current opening arrangements may change.
Significance Scores
| Category | Score | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural interest | 5/5 | Striking stonework, roofscape and interior circulation |
| Historical importance | 4/5 | A purpose-built record of late nineteenth-century political and club culture |
| Social significance | 5/5 | Represents organised sociability and changing leisure uses |
| Rarity | 4/5 | A comparatively intact purpose-built provincial political club |
| Townscape contribution | 5/5 | Dormers and ventilator make a major contribution to the High Street skyline |
Scores follow the Heritage Directory’s published significance-scoring methodology. They are interpretive judgements, not statutory designations.
Notes and Uncertainties
HES dates the principal building to 1897 and records later additions, so not every rear component should be assumed to be original. Reivers remained the licensed name associated with 69 High Street in Scottish Borders Licensing Board papers considered in December 2025; operating arrangements may nevertheless change.
Image and Licence Notes
The principal photograph was taken by Victuallers and is reused from Wikimedia Commons,_2024_Reivers_Pool_Hall,_69_High_Street.jpg) under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Follow the image link for the original file, full attribution and reuse terms.
Related Places
Sources
- Historic Environment Scotland, LB50692: 69 High Street, Reivers Pool Hall (Former Unionist Club)
- Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Andrew Black
- Kitty Cruft, John Dunbar and Richard Fawcett, The Buildings of Scotland: Borders (2006), p. 308, cited by HES.
- Scottish Borders Licensing Board, public reports pack, 12 December 2025, licensing record for Reivers at 69 High Street.