Search: 
 
Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd offices

M018 Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd offices

Address: 1048, Govan Road, Glasgow G51 4XP
Date: 1889–91
Client: Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd
Authorship: Authorship category 4 (Office) (Office)

B/W photograph of drawing office, 'The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Works', Glasgow, 1909, plate 38

John Honeyman & Keppie designed a long, red sandstone office building in Italian-Renaissance style with a central entrance pavilion including figurative sculpture, and glazed roofs lighting drawing offices on the first floor.

Authorship: John Honeyman appears to have been awarded the Fairfield contract prior to any public announcement of his new partnership with John Keppie. 1 The drawings of August 1889 appear to be in Keppie's hand.
'Fairfield offices (early work)' was included on a list of drawings produced in the office during Mackintosh's time, compiled in the 1930s by Ronald Harrison. Harrison was an early student of Mackintosh's architecture, who had access to the office records. He evidently believed that Mackintosh contributed in some way to the design of the building, but no evidence has come to light to support this attribution.

Alternative names: Upper Clyde Shipbuilding, Govan Shipbuilders Ltd, Kvaerner Govan, BAE Systems.

Cost from office job book: £16457 2s 9d

Cost from other sources: Estimated cost: £10,500–£11,000 2

Status: Standing building

Current name: Fairfield

Current use: Offices and heritage centre (2014)

Listing category: A: Listed as '1030, 1048 Govan Road, Govan Shipbuilders Ltd, general offices (excluding 1956 extension to W)'

Historic Scotland/HB Number: 33356

RCAHMS Site Number: NS56NW 36.00

Grid Reference: NS 54688 66024

GPS coordinates: lat = 55.864048, lng = -4.319185   (Map)

Notes:

1: British Architect, 30, 14 December 1888, p. 418.

2: Glasgow City Archives Collection: Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd, minute book, UCS 2/1/1, 26 July 1889.