Gaur Electricity Generating Station

This is a small station with single turbine, located high up in the Tummel catchment area on Rannoch Moor. The station is fed by open aqueduct and then penstock from water collected behind the Guar Dam (see separate record) which is located approximately ½ km upstream. After running through the turbine the water is returned to the river bed and flows down into Loch Rannoch to pass on through other stations further downstream in the scheme. The remote location of the station makes access difficult and as a consequence it was the first station in Scotland to be automated. The design of the station echoes that of the other stations of a similar date on the scheme, notably that at Errochty (see separate record). The station is a relatively early example of the change in emphasis in the design from the bold modernist forms of the pre 1943 schemes, notably at Galloway, to a design which melted into the landscape to a greater degree. The design of the station retains some of the bold features of the earlier modernist designs, such as the rectangular form, and large evenly spaced glazing pattern, but is constructed from coursed random rubble, clearly echoing the Scottish vernacular tradition. The modernist form of the building is more fully recognised to the interior, with a largely functional design making use of large concrete pilasters to support the travelling crane which is retained in situ. Additional interest is gained from the early date for the automation of this station. P L Payne, 1988, 5; E Wood, 2002, 38; J Miller, 2002.