Scotland's Art Deco Heritage 24 (i): Bo'ness
Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Woolworths at 21:49 on 22 August 2012
I’ve been to Bo’ness (properly Borrowstouness) several times before but it was when the boys were young and we were visiting the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. I’d never actually been into the town centre before but we were over that way a few weeks ago and took a gander.
It’s chock full of Art Deco buildings! (Well, as chock full as a Scottish town can be.) Today’s post is the minor stuff.
I parked the car in the first car park I came to and this was opposite:-
Amazingly the glazing still looks okay and the green banding in the stonework is a nice touch. Here’s the detailing above the black doorway:-
The far end compared to the first view has a corner but here the windows have been mucked about with. More of the same detailing above both doorways in this shot.
The shop on the ground floor is Corvi’s (Seaview Cafe.) The day we went it had a notice saying it was shut for a holiday. Several weeks’ worth of holiday!
I found this house higher up the town near the Town Hall, which is an imposing building.
This is two houses at least, possibly semis. There’s a door at each end anyway. There may be other doors to the rear, here. There is strong banding in the stonework between the “front” windows. (The true front of the building may well be the other side to this view as that will have great views over the River Forth which you can just glimpse to the left of the house.)
From the next view you can see the windows have been “modernised.” The corner ones may have been rounded once. Could this have been flat-roofed originally?
This next is a building on the east side of town. Almost deco.
Evem more deco from Bo’ness is to come but in passing I noticed a former Woolworths shop whose rear still bore the Woolies sign.
The front says it’s now a Back To Basics Discount Store.
Tags: Architecture, Art Deco, Back To Basics Discount Store, Bo'ness, Borrowstouness, River Forth, Woolworths
Scotlandâs Art Deco Heritage 24 (ii): Boâness Again – A Son of the Rock -- Jack Deighton
25 August 2012 at 12:03
[…] further along South Street from the Woolworths I mentioned in my previous Bo’ness post we came on this stunning building. An Art Deco […]
Andre
14 March 2013 at 01:32
The building on the east side of town that you describe as ‘almost deco’ looks deco to me! The ground floor and corner entrance have very deco feel. Those angled openings are a particular, but rather rare feature of 20’s/30’s architecture. The upper floors may have simply been more traditional or/and have since been altered. The roof looks like a new extension, which may account for the odd look of the corner parapet detail.
jackdeighton
14 March 2013 at 21:02
Thanks for looking in Andre.
Yes; it’s undoubtedly a 20s/30s building and the ground floor does fit the bill.
You’re right about the roof, which may have lessened the deco look a bit.
David
7 June 2018 at 07:22
Thanks for posting your interesting article on Bo’ness and Art Deco architecture. You have identified some notable buildings in the town with Art Deco features. I moved here recently and have found the town architecture quite unusual with many examples of some pretty awful sixties modern box style, flat roofed design but also some gems. Looking past the struggling town centre in retail terms there are indeed some truly gorgeous buildings. The housing development, the Drum, built on the eastern outskirts in the early 2000s, pays homage to Art Deco in the quirky house designs and features. Many of the homes have large Art Deco style gable windows for the living rooms which are delightful. In the smaller homes in another part of the development porch designs derive clearly from Art Deco. There is also an absolutely stunning house on Acre Road called Grangewells which I am told by my former architect brother in law may be of Nouveau European architecture.
jackdeighton
7 June 2018 at 22:27
David,
Thanks for your appreciation. I had noticed some 30s style houses uphill some way from the town centre. I don’t think I know Grangewells.
Thanks for looking in and commenting.
Andrew Cameron
4 November 2018 at 20:48
There is a book about Matthew Steele, architect, which was published in 2010, and is a treat.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matt-Steele-Architect-Roger-Emmerson/dp/1873190638
https://bonesslabour.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/book-charts-story-of-hippodrome-creator/
http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=203529
jackdeighton
4 November 2018 at 23:56
Andrew,
Looks interesting.
It’s good to see a local architect being remembered in this way.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.