Glen Mhor Workmen Houses Alterations May 1950
The plans were approved by the Clerk of the Court on 29 May 1960. The architect has appended the date "Inverness, 25 May 1950" to the lower right-hand corner of the document. This is the plan referenced in the application dated 24 May 1960 under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1947. The Act itself concentrated on the capacity to acquire land when necessary, and also theoretically facilitated the implementation of new land uses. So, potentially, an issue was highlighted with the original submission and promptly corrected the next day? This might explain why an earlier draft isn't within the Archive; essentially it is the same plan with a minor tweak.
The architects in question are Alex Ross and Son, based at Queensgate Chambers in Inverness. This architectural practice has previously been involved in the construction of this property, having been responsible for the additions made in 1946. Over the decades, the building has undergone a number of changes in its original form. As the architects were local, as opposed to Charles C. Doig's firm in Elgin who were used for production buildings, Alex Ross and Son were able to correct the prior day's omission.
The plans demonstrate an identical expansion on both sides of the house. In essence, the upstairs apartments are rendered fully self-contained, with the addition of bathroom and kitchen facilities. This would represent a continuation of the trend observed in the enhancement of the workers' accommodation across the site, including the construction of new houses on Telford Street in October 1946.
In that article we touched upon the issues around accommodation in general following the war and the modernisation of facilities as this house in 1950 deliver a new level of comfort and attraction to working at the distillery.
Alan Winchester was also impressed by the continued focus on employees noting that 'good to see the plans, for the houses, as a tied house was important the continuous upgrades would have been important in attracting staff.'
It is noteworthy that the downstairs area appears to have been repurposed from residential to potentially commercial use. It is possible that the distillery is utilising this space for meetings or projects. However, the true purpose of this new space remains unknown. One certainty is that further work will continue to uncover new information as and when.
These original plans are kindly made available bh the Highland Archives Centre and is watermarked for its protection. As with any images on this website, please ask first before using and always give credit.
Comments
Post a Comment