Field Visit
Date 2010
Event ID 882006
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/882006
This power station is integrated within the dam which holds back Loch Shin to create the major storage capacity for the Shin scheme. The dam is of gravity type with a fixed spillway and three large control gates. the water level behind the dam is very carefully managed as any flood would totally engulf the village of Lairg which lies directly downstream on the banks of Little Loch Shin. The powerhouse contains a single generator which is powered by the outflow from Loch Shin. The complex is built entirely from coursed rubble and has some baronial influences to the architectural features such as the round stair tower with copper roof and finial. Lairg Dam is a good exampleof an integrated dam and power station and of the design synthesis between modernist and vernacular themes as developed by the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board (NoSHEB). The power station displays a number of architectural details including carved panels and armorials; a high quality design for the dam and station was important as it is located directly opposite the village of Lairg and makes a significant contribution to the immediate landscape of the village and surrounding area. National Archives of Scotland (NAS), Ref: NSE North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Collection (1943 -1990); NAS, Ref: NSE1 North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Minutes (1943-1990); NAS, Ref NSE2 North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Annual Reports (1943-1990); PL Payne ,1988; E Wood, 2002, 112-13; J Miller, 2002, 105:88918; Scottish Hydro Electric, 2000, 8; J Gifford, 1992, 588; RCAHMS, SA/1950/14/54-56, manuscripts and plans for the Shin Scheme (1960).
