Gourdon, 2 William Street, Grain Store

NO87SW 48 82604 70762

Location formerly entered as NO 8261 7075

(Location cited as NO 827 707). Grain Store, Gourdon, late 19th century. A two-storey building with three projecting single-storey bays at the rear.

J R Hume 1977.

The building, which is entirely roofed with corrugated cement asbestos sheeting, comprises two distinct parts. The earlier E portion is a rectangular block built from more random pink sandstone rubble, and two storeys high, said to have been a granary. The newer portion is on the W side, and consists of three gabled bays built from dressed pink sandstone, the centre bay bearing the initials JSB and the date 1896. This refers to the fish merchant, John S Boyle, who later moved much of his business to Glasgow, and who gave 'Boyle Park' to the town of Forfar. This building was built at the time of the herring boom, and the older granary was partially converted on its ground floor to store Baltic ice delivered during the winter. The walls of the lower floor were therefore wood-lined (tongued and grooved boards survive in situ), and an ice crusher was installed, the ice being used for white fish not otherwise preserved in the four kilns occupying the south bay of the new building.

In February 1998, the premises is still occupied by a fish processing firm, one kiln being retained for hot-smoking haddock and other seafood. The old granary is currently used as a store, and a joiner's workshop.

Visited by RCAHMS (MKO), 5 February 1998.