Furnace and Hot Blast Tower, Shotts

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Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved. © Copyright and database right 2024.

General Details and Location

Category
AT RISK
Name of Building
Furnace and Hot Blast Tower
Other Name(s)
Shotts Ironworks
Address
Shotts
Locality
Postcode
Planning Authority
Divisional Area
Reference No
3357
Listing Category
B
OS Grid Ref
NS 87963 59794
Location Type
Urban
HS Reference No
43491

Description

FURNACE BANK: Tall masonry retaining wall, snecked cream sandstone rubble, with evidence of heightening and lengthening since first built in 1801. 2 round-headed arched recesses at northern end, and 5 small rectangular iron-lined openings in centre, with iron pipe projecting at southern end. Present form of bank dates from site improvement by Scottish Development Agengy in 1980s. HOT BLAST TOWER: Red brick 7-storey campanile, with small round-headed windows in inset panels, and machiculated and castellated parapet. Window voussoirs in white brick.

Surviving remains of iron-smelting works, founded 1802. Shotts was one of the early iron-smelting works in Central Scotland, and one of the last to remain in operation. It closed in 1947 as a result of coal nationalisation. The furnace bank is one of three surviving in Scotland, the others being at Dalmellington and Summerlee, Coatbridge. The tower, which contained a water tank to give enough head of water to cool the nozzles (tuyeres) through which air was blown into the furnaces, appears to have been unique to Shotts, and is a remarkable survival. The ironworks supplied much of the iron used for architectural work in the development of the New Town of Edinburgh. (Historic Scotland)
Building Dates
Probably circa 1860-80
Architects
Unknown

Category of Risk and Development History

Condition
Poor
Category of Risk
Moderate
Exemptions to State of Risk
Field Visits
19/02/2008, 03/06/2010, 15/12/2014
Development History
February 2008: External inspection finds the furnace bank appearing to be reasonably secured. It would benefit from the clearing of vegetation and some repointing. The pointing in the Hot Blast Tower is in poor condition, as are the internal timber ladders. The entrance is damaged with a large stone having come out of the wall.
June 2010: External inspection finds that the tower is in largely the same condition as at our last visit.

The furnace bank remains stable and in need of repointing in a number of patches.
15 December 2014: External inspection finds the site remains in much the same condition as seen previously.
26 November 2019: A member of the public notes scaffolding was temporarily erected on the retaining wall during October 2019.

Guides to Development

Conservation Area
Planning Authority Contact
PAC Telephone Number

Availability

Current Availability
Unknown
Appointed Agents
Price
Occupancy
Vacant
Occupancy Type
N/A
Present/Former Uses
Name of Owners
Unverified see FAQ on ascertaining ownership
Type of Ownership
Unknown

Information Services

Additional Contacts/Information Source
Bibliography
Augustus Muir, THE STORY OF SHOTTS, 1947; John R Hume THE INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF SCOTLAND, Vol 1, 1976, p.
Classification
Mining
Original Entry Date
21-MAR-08
Date of Last Edit
06/02/2020