Connal's Building, Glasgow

Rising with elegance on the corner of West George Street and Dundas Street, Connal’s Building is one of Glasgow’s most striking late Victorian landmarks. Completed in 1892, it was commissioned by the wealthy iron merchant George Washington Connal as the headquarters for his family business. Designed by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s contemporary, James Thomson, the building reflects the city’s late 19th-century ambition, when Glasgow was establishing itself as a powerhouse of trade, commerce, and architecture.

The building’s style is a distinctive mix of Venetian Renaissance and Scottish baronial influences, a combination that gives it both grandeur and character. Look up to notice the elegant façade, where arched windows, decorative stonework, and sculpted details showcase the craftsmanship of the period. The turreted corner feature, a signature of Thomson’s work, adds vertical emphasis and drama, making it instantly recognizable among Glasgow’s eclectic architectural landscape.

Over the decades, Connal’s Building has housed a variety of tenants, reflecting the city’s changing economy. Today, it remains a functional part of the urban fabric, blending heritage with modernity. Though no longer the headquarters of its original merchant family, the structure continues to remind passersby of the city’s prosperous Victorian past, when Glasgow was known as the “Second City of the Empire.”

For visitors, the building is best appreciated as part of a wider walk through the city centre, where it stands alongside other architectural gems such as the nearby Royal Exchange and George Square. Architecture enthusiast or casual passerby, stopping to admire the craftsmanship of Connal’s Building reveals a glimpse of Glasgow’s enduring spirit of enterprise and design.