Bladnoch Distillery Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK
Listed Building Description
Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.
Founded 1817, present buildings mostly dating from 1878 enlargement with later alterations. Distillery comprised of single, 2 and 3-storey productive, warehouse and office ranges forming 2 irregular courtyards. Whinstone rubble with stugged granite dressings. MALT BARN: 3-storey former malting house to N with near-regular fenestration to each floor, hayloft door to 1st floor, and later machinery door inserted. gabled bay with hayloft door in gablehead to N. KILN: pagoda-roofed kiln integral with malt barn to E; gabled dormerhead to hayloft door flanked by windows; decorative bell-cast lead ventilator with deep slated neck and ball finial. 2-storey barns adjoined; W range (probably earlier malt barn) with regular fenestration to W elevation, low ground floor windows to E elevation with 1st floor windows close under eaves. 2-storey mash-house to SE with new site, piended roof and with steel-framed draft tank shelter on stilts in re-entrant angle. Single storey office range to S, and later, free-standing centre-gabled, 2-storey, 3-bay office to SW (former anagers house), dated 1878, and entered from E with falling ground and lower floor to W elevation. Modern windows; octagonal ans. L-plan 2-storey warehouse ranges to N and E, forming 2nd courtyard; E range with gabled bays to E and W, and hayloft door breaking eaves in gabled dormerhead to S. Variety of glazing patterns; some small-pane, top-hopper, pivot and casement in original openings; later slappings with modern glazing. Some window grilles retained. Variety of roofing materials; predominantly grey graduated slates. Ridge ventilators. INTERIOR: 6 wooden washbacks in situ; 2 ball-necked steam-fluted copper stills, 2 spirit safes.
Listed Building Statement of Special Interest
© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.
Described as extensive by 1825, the distillery was founded by the McClellands. By 1845 there were 20 workers at the plant (Donaghie). The enlargement and modernisation of 1878 spread the various ranges over a 2 acre site and Barnard, writing in 1887, referred to a square pile of buildings around a courtyard. Only 1 of the 2 original kilns survives. No malting is currently carried out on site. Bladnoch Bridge lies to SE: an overshot water wheel (no longer extant) formerly drove the machinery. Bladnoch Village lies to E (in Wigtown Burgh). For information on the various properties of the Distillery, see Hume and Moss. Modern bonded warehouses lie nearby. The distillery was refurbished in 1990. The lade runs under the site.
Listed Building References
© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.
Barnard, A The Whisky Distilleries of the United KIngdom pp342-3. Hume and Moss The Making of Scottish Whisky (1981) p169, p235. Donnachie, I The Industrial Archaeology of Galloway (1971) pp215-6.