Govan Press Buildings, 577, 579, 581 Govan Road, Glasgow is a Grade B listed building in the Glasgow City local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 15 May 1987. Printing works.

Govan Press Buildings, 577, 579, 581 Govan Road, Glasgow

WRENN ID
riven-pillar-soot
Grade
B
Local Planning Authority
Glasgow City
Constituency
Glasgow South West MP: Dr Zubir Ahmed (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
15 May 1987
Type
Printing works
OS grid reference
NS 559 653
Coordinates
55.86018, -4.30368
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Govan Press Buildings, located at 577, 579, and 581 Govan Road in Glasgow, were designed by Frank Stirrat and constructed between 1889 and 1890. This four-storey, five-bay printing works features a striking red ashlar façade.

The ground floor has been altered, but it retains a shouldered arched door. Pilasters extend through the first and second floors, while the first, third, and fifth windows are bipartite, distinguished by pilaster mullions. Between the first and second floor windows, there are panels adorned with masks representing Caxton, Gutenberg, Burns, Scott, and Mr and Mrs Cossar, all dated 1890.

Above the second floor, there is an entablature, and the third floor has small windows, three of which are bipartite. The parapet is inscribed with "Press Buildings". The side elevations are made of blank brick, and the brick rear features asymmetrical windows. The building has a slate roof with two gable-end stacks. Additionally, there is a mosaic in the entrance floor that reads "Press Office".

Local climate

Govan Press Buildings, 577, 579, 581 Govan Road, Glasgow sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,290 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 94% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 83% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 56 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 32 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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