Building record MAB40027 - BIRSE CASTLE

Turbine house, and remains of a pipe, for a hydro-electric scheme constructed for Birse Castle in 1930.

Turbine house, and remains of a pipe, for a hydro-electric scheme constructed for Birse Castle in 1930. The scheme fell into disuse during the Second World War (when parts could not be obtained for the turbine which was of German make) and was not redeveloped post-war. The turbine house is a small square building with pyramidal roof. The water supply reached it underground, in a chamber below the ground level generator room. The water supply came originally from the weir across the Feugh south of Ballochan and which diverted water through a sluice gate to an open lade which took to the water to the start of a pipe which carried the water another 700m to the turbine house. The pipe was over ground for about half of the route, then buried. The above ground pipe have been removed but a number of columns that supported the pipe where it crossed the Feugh at NO 52244 90091 still remain. The cable carried the electricity to the castle was buried for most of its length, carried across the Feugh inside a log bridge at circa NO 52482 90406.

BIRSE COMMUNITY TRUST, 2015, FOREST OF BIRSE ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REPORT UPDATED SCHEDULE JULY 2015, Sites 132, 133 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3819.

BIRSE COMMUNITY TRUST, 2015, THE HISTORIC USES OF WATER POWER IN THE FOREST OF BIRSE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3818.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2022 9:39AM