Description

Probably Clydebank Burgh Council, circa 1937. Rare example of Modern Movement sports pavilion surviving largely unaltered and occupying original recreation ground setting. 2-storey and raised basement, 5-bay, rectangular-plan on sloping site with cantilevered balcony, oversailing flat roof and tall off-centre curved stair tower with vertical glazing breaking eaves. 2 flights of steps to walkway above basement. Rendered brick.

Horizontal-pane glazing in metal-framed casements, predominantly tripartite and bipartite, now with later metal grilles to exterior. Later metal roller shutters to entrance doors.

INTERIOR: largely intact floor plan. Ground and first floors similar with concrete floors. Changing rooms lead off central corridor, each floor with bathroom with showers. Some early timber benches and coat hooks. Stair with horizontal metal banisters.

Statement of Interest

Mountblow Football Pavilion is a fine and rare example of a Modern Movement sports pavilion. Dating from around 1937 it incorporates the ideals of Modern Movement design with its rendered appearance, horizontal emphasis and dominant vertical stairtower.

Probably constructed to serve the 1930s Mountblow housing estate which lies to the East, the pavilion retains its open recreation ground setting with its principal elevation facing the playing fields. It is a significant landscape feature. The new Modernist architecture of the 1930s was developed in tandem with significant social change. Amenity buildings became integral to housing schemes and were essential for their wider health and social benefits. McKean notes that in the case of sports pavilions, Modernist examples are rare.

Perhaps more than any other sport, football is a quintessential part of Scotland's social and cultural life. Thousands of fans flock to games and move through the turnstiles every week. References to the sport in historical records date from 1424, however the game expanded rapidly in Scotland from the mid 19th century onwards with the availability of more social leisure time.

Scotland's place in the history of sport is exceptional. With the early origins of the games of curling and golf attributed to Scotland it is no surprise that our sporting-related architectural heritage is so rich and fascinating. Sport is an immensely significant part of our shared social and cultural history and one which continues to influence and shape our lives today. The architectural legacy of our sporting buildings tells us much about who we are as a nation.

Notes updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77781171

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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