Power Station (Building No 333), Rosyth Dockyard

Power Station (Building No 333), Rosyth Dockyard

This power station was built between 1910 and 1915 by the architectural firm Messrs Easton Gibb and Son Ltd of Westminster for the Royal Navy. It is a substantial complex structure arranged in an L-plan, comprising a main block to the north of three storeys with attic and a single storey section with false attic, subdivided longitudinally into two separate sections with slight differences in height. A narrower wing of varying heights and widths extends to the south, with a concealed basement running beneath the overall structure.

The building displays an early 20th-century classical freestyle design. The principal elevations to the east and west are characterised by pilasters framing the bays, with a frieze and deeply moulded cornice immediately below the attic storey. Windows throughout are arched with keystones, those at ground floor level being mullioned and transomed, whilst large pitched rooflights penetrate the roof. The external walls are constructed of coursed rockfaced sandstone with sandstone ashlar dressings. A base course and ground floor cill band articulate the main block, with an eaves cornice to the south section of the south wing and pilasters emphasising the arrises of the main block. All openings are architraved throughout, with tripartite keystones enriching the ground floor arches of the main block.

The east elevation presents seven gabled bays with shouldered gables to the main block on the right, each bay divided by pilasters. Each bay features a large mullioned and transomed round-arched window at ground floor, all nine-light except for the penultimate bay to the left which has a six-light window positioned above a segmental-headed entrance with a replacement door. Shallow segmental-headed mullioned tripartite windows light the attic storey to each bay, though the outer lights are blocked. To the left, a slightly lower-height two-bay section is set back, with the left bay gabled and projecting slightly, its inner section recessed beneath a segmental arch. This section contains two tall closely-spaced segmental-headed windows at ground floor and a four-light mullioned window to the attic with a cill band adjoining the right bay. An entrance to the ground floor is provided to the right bay, with mullioned windows to the first floor and attic above, the latter positioned below a decorative round arch. Adjacent to this is a lower-height three-bay section set back slightly, with bays divided by pilaster strips; each bay features mullioned bipartite windows with louvred vents at ground and first floors, with the outer left of the ground floor having a shorter window and entrance below, whilst lintel and cill bands articulate each floor. To the outer left is a slightly lower-height two-bay section also set back, its bays divided by pilaster strips, containing two-light mullioned bipartite windows to each bay at first floor level, with cill and lintel bands to each floor.

The west elevation comprises seven gabled bays with shouldered gables to the main block on the left, each bay divided by pilasters and featuring large mullioned and transomed round-arched windows at ground floor, all twelve-light except for the penultimate bay to the right which has a six-light window positioned above an entrance, with small upper flanking windows and an inserted entrance to the outer right bay. Shallow segmental-headed mullioned tripartite windows light the attic storey to each bay, with outer lights blocked. A taller section of the main block projects slightly to the right with a set-back to the right return, where a two-bay section divided by a pilaster contains windows to ground and first floors, recessed beneath a round arch and flanked by small upper windows. A short blank projecting section is set back to the right. A slightly lower-height two-bay section set back to the right has the right bay gabled and projecting slightly, its inner section recessed beneath a segmental arch, with an opening with louvred vent at ground floor, two segmental-headed windows above, and a four-light mullioned window to the attic with cill band adjoining the left bay. A mullioned and transomed quadripartite window lights the first floor, with a mullioned bipartite set below a decorative round arch above to the attic. A lower-height three-bay section adjoins set back slightly to the right, with bays divided by pilaster strips; the outer left of the ground floor has an opening with louvred vent, the outer right features a mullioned bipartite, and the central bay and left opening have been blocked or partially blocked, with windows to ground and first floors now largely obscured, though lintel and cill bands remain to each floor. To the outer right is a slightly lower-height two-bay section set back, with bays divided by pilaster strips, containing two-light mullioned bipartite windows to each bay at first floor level and cill and lintel bands to each floor.

The north elevation comprises four bays with large blind round-arched openings to each bay, the outer right opening serving as an entrance to the lower part. A small blocked segmental-headed opening survives below the eaves to the outer right.

The south elevation displays two gabled bays with shouldered gables to the south section of the south wing. Each bay is lit by mullioned bipartite windows at ground and first floors, with a segmental-headed entrance to the left of the ground floor fitted with a boarded timber door with multi-pane fanlight. Cill and lintel bands articulate each floor.

The roofs are covered in grey slate, that to the main block being multi-pitched with a valley roof to the south wing. Two corniced stacks stand at the south end of the main block with one further stack to the south wing; the cans are missing.

The interior of the main block is largely open to the roof, which is supported by steel-framed roof-trusses. The ground floor features a brown glazed tiled dado, whilst the arched basement retains white glazed bricks. The building formerly contained steam turbines, which have since been removed, but retains its original crane inscribed 'Marshall Fleming & Co, Motherwell' and dated 1914. Windows throughout are predominantly multi-pane fixed timber frames with variously opening sections, including some twelve and eight-pane sashes.