History in Structure

Joiner's Workshop, Iron Ballroom, Balmoral Castle

A Category A Listed Building in Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside, Aberdeenshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 57.041 / 57°2'27"N

Longitude: -3.2269 / 3°13'36"W

OS Eastings: 325650

OS Northings: 795101

OS Grid: NO256951

Mapcode National: GBR W7.BD3M

Mapcode Global: WH6MC.D9M4

Plus Code: 9C9R2QRF+97

Entry Name: Joiner's Workshop, Iron Ballroom, Balmoral Castle

Listing Name: Balmoral Castle, Iron Ballroom, Joiner's Workshop

Listing Date: 12 March 2010

Category: A

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 400411

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB51479

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Balmoral Castle, Iron Ballroom, Joiner's Workshop

ID on this website: 200400411

Location: Crathie and Braemar

County: Aberdeenshire

Electoral Ward: Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside

Parish: Crathie And Braemar

Traditional County: Aberdeenshire

Tagged with: Architectural structure

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Description

Edward T Bellhouse and Company, produced by Eagle Foundry, Manchester, 1851. No 1 prefabricated warehouse pattern, built to serve as ballroom, now carpenters workshop. Corrugated iron sheets on concrete base and in framework of panelled, cast-iron pilasters with stylised capitals supporting cavetto corniced eaves gutter. Entrance in gabled end, now with sliding machinery door, with small-pane strip fanlight above. 7-bay sides, 4 each side windowed with flush, 16-pane timber casement windows; 2 modern, fixed-pane, horizontal windows inserted to left return elevation. Rear gable end, blank. Scalloped barge boards and finials. Corrugated roof with flush rooflights and decorative brattishing; gabled ventilator to mid ridge with brattishing.

Interior: lined with timber boarding; coombed roof, embrasured to rooflights.

Statement of Interest

A group with Venison Larder, Ice House, Stables, Pony Stables, The Surgery and Game Larders.

This is the earliest remaining corrugated iron building in Scotland and possibly in Britain and it retains much of its original decorative design and footprint. Prince Albert had seen Bellhouse's designs at the Great Exhibition and ordered one to serve as a temporary ballroom at Balmoral; the warehouses were intended to house emigrants moving to Canada or Australia as a result of the Highland clearances. It was erected in three weeks and first used for the gillies' ball, 1st October 1851. It remained in use until 1856 and in 1882 was resited to its present position near the stables and game larders, when the old offices were demolished. In the autumn of 1853 the ballroom also served as a studio for Carl Haag. Prince Albert's use of the early prefabricated warehouse is thought to have been highly influential in popularizing and disseminating the practice.

There has been some alteration to the building, including the addition of sliding doors to one gable, but the original footprint and much of the original decorative design remains.

External Links

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