4 Dallas Dhu Cottages, Forres, Moray

Description

1, 2, 3 and 4 Dallas Dhu Cottages date from 1898 and were likely to have been designed by Charles Doig. They are built in red brick at the ground floor with dummy timber framing at the first floor. The entrances are in the outer bays and Nos. 1 and 4 have gabled timber-boarded porches. Each cottage has a large segmental-headed ground floor window in the west (front) elevation. Each pair of cottages has a two-window gabled dormer on the east pitch and two smaller dormer windows on the west pitch. There is a variety of glazing patterns. The roofs are jerkin-headed and slated with red pottery ridges. There is a square brick chimney stack on the ridge of each pair of cottages. Photographs of the interior of the properties show that they have been refurbished and are plainly detailed.

Legal exclusions

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: single storey brick additions to side and rear of cottages and separate laundry building to west.

Historical development

Dallas Dhu Distillery, originally called Dallasmore, was built in 1898 to designs by the architect, Charles Doig. It was funded by the entrepreneur and distillery owner, Alexander Edward, and was one of two distilleries to be built on his estate of Sanquhar.

Prior to going into production the distillery was sold in 1899 to Wright & Greig Ltd, a Glasgow blending company. Production began on 29 May 1899 and the first barrel was filled on 3 June. The distillery changed hands a number of times, as well as temporarily ceased activity during the First and Second World Wars, and during the depression in the early 1930s.

Unlike other distilleries Dallas Dhu Distillery was not rebuilt or expanded in the 20th century and economically could not compete with Scottish Malt Distillers' other sites. The last barrel of whisky was filled on 16 March 1983 and the distillery closed. On its closure in 1987, Dallas Dhu Distillery was disponed to Scottish Ministers. It was later sold to a private owner in 1997 but remained the guardianship of the Scottish Ministers.

Statement of Interest

1, 2, 3 and 4 Dallas Dhu Cottages meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

They are an integral part of this 19th century distillery.

Their survival adds to the interest and understanding of the historic collection of buildings, showing what was required to produce whisky on an industrial scale

They are not significantly altered and have distinguishing design details for their building type.

Architectural interest

Design

The two pairs of distillery workers houses to the west of the distillery were built at the same time as the maltings and distillery buildings. A contract for the building of these properties was advertised in the Forres Gazette on 13/09/1898. They are likely to have also been designed by Doig, although they are not shown on his architectural drawings of the distillery.

Stylistically and materially they are not similar to the industrial distillery buildings, but are similar to the former Manager's House and the Excise House (which survive to the north of the site but have not been assessed as part of this review, 2019). These design similarities show the former functional relationship between these properties and they remain important ancillary buildings. For late 19th century houses they have distinguishing architectural details. This includes the timber framing, the gabled porches, the arched windows and the jerkin-headed roof with pottery ridge tiles.

The distillery workers' houses have been altered with a variety of single-storey additions to the side gables and the rear. These additions are not considered to have an adverse impact on the design interest of the houses. The interiors have been refurbished and are very plain, but highly decorative fixtures and fittings would be very unusual in a house for a worker.

Setting

The completeness and integrity of the historic group of buildings that comprise Dallas Dhu Distillery, as well as its immediate setting is highly unusual and is of significant interest. The complex retains all of its late 19th industrial buildings, as well as houses for its workers to the west, and two detached houses to the north, which were built for the manager and excise officer. The historic relationship between these buildings can be clearly seen by the close proximity of the buildings to each other and they remain intervisible. The houses in particular share similar design details. The survival of these buildings and the relatively lack of change to this historic group is important in showing how the site functioned when the distillery was first in operation.

The immediate setting of Dallas Dhu Distillery is largely unaltered from when the distillery was built in the late 19th century and this adds to its interest. There is no large later development in the immediate setting. Many distilleries of a similar date have had their immediate setting altered by the addition of large 20th century buildings or the 19th century buildings have been extended. Kilns and warehouses are the buildings most likely to remain substantially unaltered.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

Domestic properties built for the workers of industrial or agricultural sites are not a rare building type and survive in large numbers across Scotland. Many distilleries, particularly those not in very close proximity to towns or villages, have workers' housing and dwellings for an Excise Officer. The 1823 Excise Act required distillers to provide separate accommodation for Excise Officers, with houses rented from the Board of Excise for a sum not exceeding £10 per annum.

Houses that are largely unaltered, have distinguishing architectural features and the former functional relationship with the distillery is still clear may be of interest in listing terms. Whilst the distillery workers' houses at Dallas Dhu Distillery are not early examples of their building type, they were built at the same time as the distillery and are an integral ancillary component of this industrial site which helps us to under how the site functioned. They have not been significantly altered and have design interest for their building type and date.

Social historical interest

Distilling is Scotland's most iconic industry with malt whisky exported worldwide. As almost half of the country's malt whisky distilleries are in Speyside they are a key part of its architectural and historical character, which is celebrated by the Speyside Malt Whisky Heritage Trail. Dallas Dhu Distillery is an outstanding preserved example of a distillery built towards the end of the boom period of this industry. The survival of distillery buildings together with the workers' housing is significant in contributing to our understanding of how the distillery site functioned from the late 19th century. It is an exceptional tangible reminder of the historical development of Scotland's most important industries.

From 1928 until its closure the distillery was owned by a subsidiary of the Distillers' Company Limited, which in the early 20th century claimed to be the 'largest whisky distiller in the world'.

Category changed from A to C, statutory address and listed building record revised in 2019. These cottages were previously listed at category A with the distillery building (LB8689) as 'Dallas Dhu Distillery'.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

4 Dallas Dhu Cottages

A Category C Listed Building in Forres, Moray

Coordinates

Description

Statement of Interest

External Links

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