St Andrew's Cathedral Towers, Shakespeare Street, Dumfries

2 broadly similar Romanesque towers, now free-standing, remains of pro-cathedral burnt 1961. Both towers are square-plan, W-facing and with round-arched doors, openings and recessed panels, clasping pilaster strips, louvred bipartite belfry in each top stage; some arcaded corbel tables. Red ashlar, exposed rubble where church formerly adjoined.

North tower: "designed by the Honourable Marmaduke C Maxwell of Terregles" (MacDowall); built 1843, together with (demolished) school; 4 stages, pair tall round-arched panels in 3rd stage. Shallow-pitched and slated pyramidal capping suggests original intention to add spire.
South tower: by John H Bell (? of Dumfries), and built by 1858 when lucarned tall Gothic broach spire (135' high excluding 12' cross finial) was added by Alexander Fraser of Dumfries. Tower has 3 tall stages; modern sculpture of St Andrew on E face. Some fragments of church walling also survive.

Original building 1811. Transepts and domed aisle added 1871-2; interior decorated with "arabesque designs", 1879. Marmaduke C Maxwell is not otherwise known as a gentleman architect, and the N tower is unlikely to be entirely his design. (Historic Scotland)

7 May 2014: External inspection finds the two substantial towers, remnants of the former church at the site, generally in poor condition: walls are very damp with growths of vegetation at several levels and are very green from algae bloom. Leaded lights are in very poor condition having been comprehensively broken.

2 August 2024: Desk-based assessment suggests the buildings remains At-Risk.