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Latitude: 55.9509 / 55°57'3"N
Longitude: -4.7661 / 4°45'57"W
OS Eastings: 227383
OS Northings: 676551
OS Grid: NS273765
Mapcode National: GBR 0C.Y385
Mapcode Global: WH2M9.RPMB
Plus Code: 9C7QX62M+9H
Entry Name: Watt Institution, 15 Kelly Street, Greenock
Listing Name: Watt Institution including Watt Library and McLean Museum and Art Gallery, 15 Kelly Street, Greenock
Listing Date: 13 May 1971
Last Amended: 1 October 2021
Category: A
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 378365
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB34148
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Watt Monument Library
ID on this website: 200378365
The symmetrical, three-storey library section dates from 1832-7. Designed by Edward Blore (1787-1879) in a Tudor-Gothic style, it is constructed in rough-faced, grey, ashlar sandstone and has bay windows and a centre porch. The interior includes a two-storey, galleried library and a statue of James Watt by Sir Francis Chantrey (1781–1841) designed specifically for the space.
Wings were added to either side of the library block in 1847 by Blore and contain bespoke library interiors. The building was extended to the southwest in 1876 by Alexander Adamson (1830–1893), who designed a two-storey public hall and museum extension in keeping with Blore's castellated Gothic design. An art gallery extension was added to the 1876 phase in 1955. Further modernisation by the Inverclyde District Council Architects Department took place after 1978.
The building underwent an extensive refurbishment programme in the late 2010s. External and internal refurbishment and conservation work was completed in February 2020, and included works to the slate roof, the reintroduction of rooflights and the reinstatement of tall chimneys. The external stonework was repaired and windows were refurbished. The original name of the building was restored during the refurbishment and is now known as the Watt Institution
James Watt (1736-1819), born in Greenock, was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, internationally renowned for his improvements in steam engine technology. A unit of measurement of electrical and mechanical power - the watt - is named in his honour.
Together with Matthew Boulton of Birmingham, Watt began to manufacture steam engines in 1775. Boulton & Watt became the most important engineering firm in the country, meeting considerable demand.
By 1790, Watt was a wealthy man and in 1800 he retired and devoted himself entirely to research work. He patented several other important inventions including the rotary engine, the double-action engine and the steam indicator, which records the steam pressure inside the engine.
In 1816, Watt donated books for a proposed scientific library in Greenock and a library building was considered to be an appropriate form for his commemoration.
The Watt Institution is an important civic building that represents the prosperity, industry and culture of the burgh during the 19th century. It is also an important and early example of both a library and museum building. Public libraries were not established in Scotland until after the Public Libraries Act (Scotland) of 1853.
In recent years, Watt was known to be involved in the trading of enslaved people and had derived profits from the transatlantic slave economy. This was a multi-generational family involvement with the slave trade and plantation slavery, which was inherited from his father and was subsequently passed to his son, James Watt Junior.
Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2021. Previously listed as 'Watt Library and McLean Museum Union Street, Kelly Street and Watt Street'. The building was listed as the 'Greenock Institution' from 1971 until 2004.
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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