Cruachan Dam, Ben Cruachan Hydro Electric Scheme

The Cruachan Dam, part of the Ben Cruachan Hydro Electric Scheme, was designed by James Williamson and Partners, with George Rennie serving as the resident engineer for the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board technical panel, and was constructed between 1959 and 1965. This large buttress dam features an access roadway that extends over prominent arcaded buttresses. The central buttress, which is substantial, contains pipeway inlets and control gates, making it a dominant feature against the backdrop of the Cruachan corrie and surrounding mountains. The dam is primarily made of mass concrete, with some areas of reinforced concrete used for the parapet. Its downstream face is battered and supported by deep buttresses that have rounded headed gaps between them. There is a large buttress at the center and a small fixed spillway located to the far left (northwest), with the roadway supported by slender piers. The top of the dam has a plain parapet that is integrated with the heads of the buttresses.