Linthouse Building

The Linthouse Building is a former shipyard production hall now standing in the harbour of Irvine, North Ayrshire. Built in 1871 for Alexander Stephen and Sons in the Glasgow district of Linthouse, it was designed by architect James Spencer. In the early 1990s the building was moved piece by piece to its present site under the direction of Lance Smith and Ian Downs, and the work finished in 1991. The structure is now part of the Scottish Maritime Museum. Its east-facing front is almost symmetrical, with two large gabled bays each 16.15 m wide at the centre and lower side wings only 6.10 m wide. Tall round-headed doors of different heights sit in these gables, surrounded by windows. Lisenes divide the walls into panels, and cast-iron posts carry the timber roof while splitting the interior into twelve bays. Inside, wrought-iron crane rails run the length of the building at high level, while lower levels use timber rails. The roof is covered with slates laid in a combination of pitched and hipped patterns. The harbour setting between the River Irvine and the railway station makes the building easy to reach, and its harbour neighbours include the Linthouse Engine Shop.