County Buildings, Dumbarton

Last updated

County Buildings, Dumbarton
The County Buildings, Dumbarton (geograph 2747910).jpg
Former County Buildings at Dumbarton
LocationGarshake Road, Dumbarton
Coordinates 55°56′55″N4°32′46″W / 55.9487°N 4.5462°W / 55.9487; -4.5462
Built1965
ArchitectLane Bremner & Garnett
Architectural style(s) Brutalist style
West Dunbartonshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in West Dunbartonshire

County Buildings was a municipal structure in Garshake Road, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The complex was the headquarters of Dunbartonshire County Council and was subsequently used as council offices for West Dunbartonshire Council.

History

The original county offices in Dumbarton were in the Sheriff Courthouse in Church Street. [1] In the early 1960s, the council leaders decided that Dunbartonshire County Council needed larger offices and they selected a site to the southeast of Garshake Road in what was once part of the Crosslet Estate. [2]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the council convener, Hugh Gillies, on 26 June 1963. It was designed by Armstrong Lane, Duncan Bremner, and Alan Bristow of the firm of Lane Bremner & Garnett in the Brutalist style, built in concrete and glass at a cost of £800,000 and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, on 28 June 1965. [3] The design involved a five-storey long and narrow main frontage facing onto Garshake Road. In front of the main building there was a large two-story structure and, behind the main frontage, there was a smaller single-story square building which accommodated the council chamber. A statue sculpted by James Barclay depicting a mother and child was installed outside the main entrance. [4]

After the abolition of Dunbartonshire County Council in 1975, ownership of the main building passed to Strathclyde Regional Council and, following the introduction of unitary authorities in 1995, ownership based to West Dunbartonshire Council. In the early 21st century, the council, finding County Buildings "out of date", "crumbling" and "in the wrong location", decided to commission new offices which were to be erected behind the façade of Dumbarton Burgh Hall. [5]

After the staff moved into the new offices in July 2018, [6] the structure on Garshake Road was demolished in summer 2019. [7] [8] The site was marketed for sale in September 2018 and, in November 2019, Miller Homes acquired the site for around £6 million [9] and subsequently secured planning consent to build 86 houses there. [10] [11] The new development was named Garshake Gardens. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire</span> Town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Alexandria is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The town is on the River Leven, three miles north of Dumbarton and 15 mi (24 km) north-west of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Dunbartonshire</span> Council area of Scotland

West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the north-west of the Glasgow City council area and contains many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. West Dunbartonshire also borders Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Stirling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of Leven</span>

The Vale of Leven is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term Leamhnach, meaning field of the Leven. Leamnha is thought to mean elm-water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunbartonshire</span> Historic county in Scotland

Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Perthshire to the north, Stirlingshire to the east, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire to the south, and Argyllshire to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbarton</span> Town in Scotland

Dumbarton is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of Leven F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Vale of Leven Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the town of Alexandria, in the Vale of Leven area of West Dunbartonshire. Nicknamed "the Vale" and formed in 1939, the club competes in West of Scotland League Third Division, the ninth tier of Scottish football, holding home games at Millburn Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the UK

West Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election and covers the same area as the county of West Dunbartonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardross</span> Village in Scotland

Cardross is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical county of Dunbartonshire but the modern political local authority of Argyll and Bute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonhill</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Bonhill is a town in the Vale of Leven area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is sited on the Eastern bank of the River Leven, on the opposite bank from the larger town of Alexandria.

Jim Bollan is a councillor in West Dunbartonshire, representing the West Dunbartonshire Community Party. Until 2016 he was a member of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), having been the only elected representative from that party left in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clydebank (district)</span> Former local gov district in Scotland

Clydebank was, from 1975 to 1996, one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, covering the town of Clydebank and adjoining areas to the north-west of the city of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbarton (district)</span> Former local government district in Scotland

Dumbarton was, from 1975 to 1996, one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, covering the town of Dumbarton and surrounding areas to the north-west of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbarton Burgh Hall</span> Municipal Building in Dumbarton, Scotland

Dumbarton Burgh Hall is a municipal structure in Church Street, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The building, which is the headquarters of West Dunbartonshire Council, is Category A listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leven (ward)</span>

Leven is one of the six wards used to elect members of the West Dunbartonshire Council. It elects four Councillors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clydebank Town Hall</span> Municipal Building in Clydebank, Scotland

Clydebank Town Hall is a municipal building in Dumbarton Road, Clydebank, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Clydebank Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.

The 2022 West Dunbartonshire Council election was held on 5 May 2022, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the six wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 22 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system - a form of proportional representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Buildings, Dumbarton</span> Municipal building in Dumbarton, Scotland

Dumbarton Municipal Buildings is a structure in Glasgow Road, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, is a Category B listed building.

Star of Leven Football Club was an association football club based in the town of Alexandria, in the Vale of Leven area of West Dunbartonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbarton Sheriff Court</span> Courthouse in Dumbarton, Scotland

Dumbarton Sheriff Court is a judicial structure in Church Street, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The complex, which was the headquarters of Dunbartonshire County Council and is currently used as a courthouse, is a Category B listed building.

References

  1. ↑ "Memory Lane: The changing face of Dumbarton buildings". The Daily Record. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map 1900" . Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth visited Dumbarton: archive photos and video". Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Mother and Child Statue: Garshake". West Dunbartonshire Council. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "West Dunbartonshire Council opens new headquarters". Clydebank Post. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "West Dunbartonshire Council settles into flagship HQ". Urban Realm. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Bid to demolish Dumbarton's Garshake council offices". Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Demolition of former Dumbarton council offices blamed for rat infestation". Daily Record. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Persimmon and Miller buy West Dunbartonshire sites". The Construction Index. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Public get their first look at Garshake housing plans". Daily Record. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Dumbarton explorer probes abandoned Garshake council offices". Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "Miller Homes launching new housing development in Dumbarton". Glasgow Times. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.