Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

CARRON COMPANY, CLOCK TOWER REMNANT OF FORMER OFFICE BLOCKLB10504

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
C
Date Added
18/01/1988
Supplementary Information Updated
16/08/2007
Local Authority
Falkirk
Planning Authority
Falkirk
Parish
Larbert
NGR
NS 88208 82519
Coordinates
288208, 682519

Description

1874-75, Robert Baldie. Crow-step gabled, clock-tower remnant of the Baronial style offices of the Carron Company Ironworks. Bull-faced, snecked sandstone with moulded ashlar dressings. Deep roll-moulded segmental-arched pend; triple-light window above; company crest and date panel with monogram to gable apex. Square clock turret with black and gold faces, dentiled cornice and canon-mouldings to corners. Bell-cast pyramidal roof with weathervane finial. 18th century iron remnants inserted into stonework to either side of pend. Cement render to sides and rear. Later (circa 1992) single-storey additions flanking.

4-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Graded grey Scottish slate.

Statement of Special Interest

When originally listed in 1988, the building comprised a substantial, 53 bay office block in the Stirling-School Scottish Baronial style. It was Stirling born architect Robert Baldie's largest commission. The central gabled clock-tower bay was retained following demolition of the rest of the building in 1990. Isolated from its former architectural context, this remnant is now an unusual local landmark. It retains its listed status primarily for its special historic interest and serves as a reminder of the major role the company played during the 18th and 19th century industrial revolution, both from a local and international perspective. Interest is added by an iron lintel from the first blast furnace on the site, dated 1760, which has been inlaid into the stonework beside the pend. On the opposite side is part of a cylinder cast in 1766 for James Watt, the steam engine designer. The panel above contains the company's crest with its crossed canons and phoenix rising from the flames with the company motto above, 'Esto Perpetua' (Let it Endure Forever). Established in 1759, the Carron Company ironworks was hugely significant in the fortunes of Falkirk, underpinning its rapid development. By 1810, it was the largest ironworks in Europe, employing over 2,000 workers. The company's prosperity grew with the mass-production of the hugely successful 'Carronade' short-barrel canon, produced continuously between 1778 and 1850 and used to great effect in numerous naval and military campaigns. Carron continued to produce munitions in both World Wars, diversifying into plastics and steel in the later 20th century. The company went into receivership in 1982.

List description updated August 2007.

References

Bibliography

1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1892). J R Hume, Industrial Archaeology Of Scotland Vol.1-The Lowlands and the Borders (1976) p253. Brian Watters, Where Iron Runs Like Water! A New History of Carron Iron Works 1759-1982 (1998).

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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