Kinlochleven Aluminium Works, Lower Penstock Valve House And House
Valve House (20th Century) (1909)
Site Name Kinlochleven Aluminium Works, Lower Penstock Valve House And House
Classification Valve House (20th Century) (1909)
Alternative Name(s) Kinlochleven Aluminium Works; Kinlochleven Hydroelectric Power Scheme
Canmore ID 107297
Site Number NN26SW 3.03
NGR NN 20172 60470
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/107297
- Council Highland
- Parish Lismore And Appin (Lochaber)
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Lochaber
- Former County Argyll
NN26SW 3.03 20188 60458
Location formerly entered as NN 2019 6042.
The location assigned to this record remains unverified, and this structure is not noted on the 1968 edition of the OS 1:10,560 map. It presumably housed the machinery controlling the flow of water from the aqueduct NN26SW 3.01 into the pipeline NN16SE 3.01, and thence into the penstocks NN16SE 3.08 and the power house (electricity generating station) NN16SE 3.08 at the Kinlochleven Aluminium Works (NN16SE 3.00).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 9 June 2006.
Field Visit (2010)
This inlet valve allows water from the aqueduct (leading from Blackwater Dam) to enter the pipeway leading down to the powerhouse. The inlet includes an integrated overspill to prevent excess water entering the pipes. This valve-house exhibits a cohesive architectural style clearly echoing the design of the powerhouse. The application of an architectural design to a predominantly functional building type is relatively unusual. There has been a degree of later alteration, including the addition of infrastructure for screens and screen cleaning devices. P L Payne, 1988; E Wood, 2002; Concrete and Constructional Engineering IV, 1909; Alcan, n.d., The Lochaber Water Power Scheme.
