Staff Restaurant, Ici Works, Ardeer, Stevenston, North Ayrshire

Description

George J. Miller (of James Miller & Son), 1938. Symmetrical, single-storey, 7- by 3-bay former temporary pavilion built for the Empire Exhibition (see Notes) and re-sited at Ardeer, with large curvilinear Dutch-Baroque gables and later, 1960s, 2-storey flat-roofed canteen section added to SW. Steel and timber framed structure, with cream painted asbestos cement cladding. Very steep pitched roofs with brown pantiles (significant loss to roof structure, 2021); replacement slates at W end. Multi-paned sash and case glazing made up of small square panes with chunky astragals (several openings now blocked, 2021).

N ELEVATION: 5 bays between projecting gables, with alternate doors and windows (2 doors with tall multi-paned grid pattern glazed fanlights; sash and case windows with 30 small square panes to each sash). Symmetrical curvilinear gables flanking, with chunky scrolls and semi-circular pedimented aspices; centre bay of gable slightly advanced, containing doors with rectangular grid-glazed fanlights and canted entablatures. Windows above on each gable have been blocked; simple niches beneath semi-circular apex. 2-leaf panelled door in right-hand gable; slightly different 2-leaf door with Spanish style curved glazing at upper panels to left. Doors flanked by narrow glazed strips (sash and case glazing; 15 panes to each sash).

SIDE ELEVATIONS: 5 bays; 18-pane sash and case windows at ground.

E ENTRANCE ELEVATION: (originally the principal front facing onto the water at the centre of Dominion and Colonial Avenue); elaborately detailed door with sweetheart curved moulding above low glazed 2-leaf door and diagonal astragals above in fanlight converging at glazed 'keystone' above curved timber moulding; also flanked by narrow sash and case windows; window above in tall, narrow curvilinear gable-head blocked. 2 red tiled steps to door as at N.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: very plain; smaller 9-pane windows at ground; straight-edged gables with simplified Dutch semi-circular pedimented aspices and kneelers midway (loss of fabric to rear roof following damage and collapse, 2021).

Interiors derelict (2021).

Statement of Interest

The former South Africa pavilion with its distinctive curvilinear Dutch Baroque gables is one of the few remaining buildings from the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938, held at Bellahouston Park. It was built originally to show exports from South Africa: the curvilinear gables were designed to reflect the Dutch influence in South African architecture and is a rare surviving example of the Dutch Colonial style in Scotland. Built as a temporary structure, the building was later moved to Ardeer to become a staff canteen.

Architectural Interest

The building was altered slightly in its re-erection and an illustration in Architect and Building News shows elaborate gables with finials (now missing) to S. Kinchin, p143 shows a pedimented doorcase rather than entablature at E entrance.

The building's design, which is known as the Cape Dutch vernacular style is a rare survival of its type in Scotland. The style is of particular relevance to its history as a pavilion designed for the Union of South Africa (then part of the British Commonwealth) and is unique as a whimsical interpretation of this architecture for the purpose of display and spectacle, prominently included in the Empire Exhibition held in Glasgow in 1938. The contrast of this traditional style with the modernism of most other buildings in the Exhibition makes the use of the style in this context more remarkable. George Miller (1902-1940), son of James Miller (1860-1947), was responsible for the building. James Miller (1860-1947) was a prolific and well-respected architect, based in Glasgow and who practiced all over Scotland. He was the architect of the previous 1901 Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park.

The transfer of the building to the Imperial Chemical Industries' (ICI) site at Ardeer, to be used as a staff canteen, saw changes to the original design. Following this move, the building still retained the essential Dutch homestead style and the characteristic shaped gables and steep roofline can still be recognised and appreciated in the current level of the fabric now surviving in the elevations and small sections of the roofs only.

The later extension of the 1950s and '60s is interesting for what it tells us about how the building was used and adapted as the canteen for staff, executives and important visitors to ICI in its post-war hey-day. However, the architectural interest of this section of the building is not considered sufficiently special in its own right and does not contribute to the architectural interest of the earlier building. We note that the demolition of this section of the building has already been accepted by North Ayrshire Council.

The setting of the building within a pocket of tree-planting set near the original office and library buildings for the former ICI site is largely unchanged from the date it was first re-erected in 1939. Moreover, the location of the building within the context of a wider industrial site still partially in use for chemical production adds to our understanding of the building and its historical connection to the explosives industry. It is also significant that this industrial site on the North Ayrshire coast, founded by the internationally recognised chemist, Alfred Noble, was at this point in time the largest of its kind in the world. There is a historical connection to the explosives industry in South Africa and the decision to relocate the South African Pavilion to this site is also important to our understanding of its context.

Historic Interest

The Empire Exhibition was an international showcase to celebrate industry and had exhibits from around the Commonwealth. Thomas Tait was the architect-in-chief and the majority of the buildings were in a contemporary functional style, using the latest building materials of steel and timber framing with asbestos cladding. The Dutch Baroque style of the Pavilion contrasted with these. The pavilion took its place in the 'Dominions and Colonies' section of the Exhibition, together with Canada and Australia Houses.

The building is a rare survivor of the 1938 Empire Exhibition and is now one of four buildings with a direct association with the event which saw around 68 buildings and pavilions designed for it under the direction of the architect, Thomas Tait. The survival of the South African Pavilion is significant when considering that all but two buildings (the Palace of Art and the Beresford Hotel) were designed to be temporary structures. The building's survival is therefore a tangible reminder of this unique and renowned cultural event in Scotland in the early 20^th.

The Empire Exhibition was conceived by the Scottish Development Council and was primarily aimed at promoting the trades and industries of Scotland and the British Empire. The ICI was one of the most important sponsors of the exhibition and included an innovative pavilion design by the up-and-coming architect, Basil Spence, which was amongst the most prominent private sector buildings within the exhibition.

The historical association with ICI and the 1938 Exhibition is a likely link to how the South African Pavilion was relocated to their operations at Ardeer in 1939, which at this date, was in the process of rapid expansion, especially following the beginning of rearmament prior to the Second World War. A further layering to this story is the company's connection to South Africa through the Swedish-Scottish chemist, Gösta Lundholm, who was a senior figure in ICI in the late 1930s but who had also worked in British-run chemical works in this country.

It is appropriate that one of the pavilions found its way to ICI at Ardeer: ICI, the then largest chemical producer in the Empire had been represented at the Exhibition by another building, Basil Spence's ICI Pavilion, built entirely of ICI products, in the UK Manufacturing and Industries Section.

This combination of social and historical associations adds considerably to the building's special architectural and historic interest and conveys a significance that is not merely related to its original incarnation as a pavilion in a historic Scottish trade exhibition, but also as a culturally significant representation of the importance of Scotland's social, economic and industrial history in the early 20^th century.

(References and Notes updated, 2011. All windows boarded, 2011)

Supplementary information in the listed building record was revised in 2022.

External Links

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