Chalmers Hall, 1a-2 High Street/ 2-6 Castle Street, Dundee

4-storey and later attic, classically-detailed former hotel, now university hall of residence with shops to ground floor. Painted ashlar, slate Mansard roof. Shopfronts to ground floor, modern at no 1A, pilastered and round-headed at no 2 High Street and nos 2 and 4 Castle Street, plain 19th century design at no 6 Castle Street; continuous cill band to 2nd floor, consoled and corniced balustraded parapet with ball-finialled dies and pyramidal angle dies; 2- and 4-pane timber sash and case windows, architraved to 1st floor with sculpted round-headed pediments, shouldered to 2nd floor with consoled cills, architraved to 3rd floor; corniced wallhead stack to High Street, ridge stacks elsewhere.

Castle Street was opened from 1785, the second street to be formed from High Street/ Nethergate to the Harbour, and this building appears to date from near that time. The building is shown in its original state in Kay's 'The Executive' as an hotel, eventually becoming the Royal British Hotel until its rebirth in 1965 as Chalmers Hall of Residence of the University of Dundee, named after James Chalmers (1782-1853), inventor of the adhesive postage stamp and whose shop was situated at the adjoining 10 Castle Street. (Historic Environment Scotland List Entry)

March 2010: External inspection finds the ground floor is occupied by four retail units, but the four upper floors appear to be disused and at risk. The windows are in poor condition: two are boarded up and many of the frames require maintenance. The masonry paint is failing. Listed Building Consent was granted, subject to approval by Historic Scotland, for alteration to form 7 flats with first floor office accomodation (the grd floor retail units remaining)Dec 2008 ref: 05/00264/LBC.

February 2011: A member of the public reports workmen are currently in the 2nd and 3rd floors, with windows being renewed and works thought to be undertaken on the interior. Local planners report some grant aided repair works are underway in advance of anticipated conversion of the upper floors. Full restoration and conversion has not yet commenced.

11 May 2016: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously: upper floors remain disused with painted render widely cracked and failing.