Power Station, Invergarry

Invergarry Power Station is a single-storey power station designed by architects Gratton and McLean in 1950-51. It forms part of the Great Glen hydro electric scheme, one of the major post-war hydro electric developments undertaken by the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board (NoSHEB).

The building is set on a sloping site bounded to the north by a low cliff line and to the south by the main A82 road. It is constructed of random rubble with cast concrete margins and dressings, and features a vented attic storey above the principal volume.

The principal north-east elevation is notably sunken, with a small court to the front containing switching gear. A large vehicular access door of panelled teak is positioned to the right, with a small rectangular window above. To the left, three long multi-pane windows are flanked by two small rectangular vents. A continuous canopy runs above this elevation with narrow rectangular horizontal vents beneath, which visually suggest an attic storey. The south elevation is symmetrical, arranged in three bays with rectangular windows set beneath horizontal vents and a continuous canopy above. The south-west rear elevation features horizontal openings to the attic set under a continuous canopy. The north-west elevation is integrated with the quarried hillside edge.

Throughout the building, glazing consists of small-pane metal frames in painted metal surrounds, with some hopper-top openings. The roof is a recessed flat platform design with integrated rainwater goods.

The interior is predominantly plain and functional, dominated by a single large turbine hall. A large overhead gantry crane with piers and gantries flanks either side of the turbine hall. The turbine is deeply recessed in a turbine pit.

A sunken court to the east is masked by a roughly coped random rubble wall adjacent to the A82. Curved quadrants form the entrance, flanking circular gate piers. Cast-iron gates bearing the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board logo are positioned at the centre.

The power station exemplifies mid-twentieth-century industrial design adapted to a sensitive landscape setting. The innovative sunken front court ensures that the building is almost entirely integrated into the landscape, with only a low three-bay elevation presented to the main road. The use of local stone reinforces this integration with the surrounding terrain.

The Great Glen scheme played a significant role in the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board's social agenda, providing power to remote north Highland communities and stimulating economic regeneration. Power generated on schemes in the southern Highlands, such as Tummel, was exported via the grid to the central belt, with profits subsidising provision to remote Highland areas. Under the leadership of chairman Sir Tom Johnston, the board developed schemes throughout Highland Scotland, including locations such as Loch Dubh near Ullapool and Storr Lochs on Skye.

All NoSHEB developments required parliamentary approval, and objections on grounds of scenic amenity were common. To address these concerns, the board appointed a panel of architectural advisers in 1943, including Reginald Fairlie, James Shearer and Harold Ogle Tarbolton. Initially the panel adjudicated on competition entries; by 1947 it assumed a design role. While the panel had limited control over functional form—which was left to engineers—it influenced appearance and style. This division of responsibility resulted in a distinctive approach characterised as vernacular modernism, evident across many NoSHEB buildings and reflecting the desire to harmonise structures with landscape.

Following Tarbolton's death in 1947 and Fairlie's in 1952, James Shearer exerted increasing control over architectural direction. By the early-to-mid 1950s, as public concern over development impacts on scenic amenity grew, NoSHEB designs moved away from confident classical modernism towards more landscape-responsive approaches.

Gratton and McLean's design for Invergarry exemplifies these evolving concerns, notably through the sunken court which integrates the building directly into the landscape. The use of long louvered vents is also evident at Quoich power station, suggesting the practice may have been responsible for multiple commissions on the Great Glen scheme. Gratton and McLean was an architectural practice working predominantly in school, church and bank architecture, including alterations to the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters at Dundas House, Edinburgh, and the design for Castlemilk West Church in Glasgow.