Designating Former St Rollox Locomotive Works, Glasgow

From 7 March to 28 March 2022, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) sought views on our proposal to list the Former St Rollox Locomotive Works in Springburn at category B.

First built in 1854-56 then remodelled and enlarged in the 1880s, St Rollox Works is a rare surviving example of a major centre for locomotive manufacture and repair. Consisting of 12 adjoining workshops, the building retains much of its historic character and fabric, including 19^th century structural ironwork and internal fixtures. It is now the only building of this type to survive in Springburn, Glasgow - formerly one of the world's main centres of locomotive construction. 

Further details can be accessed on our Heritage Portal.

We received a total of 17 responses to consultation.

Sixteen responses were in favour of designating St Rollox as a listed building.

The comments contributed to our knowledge of the building and our understanding of how St Rollox is valued.

The former locomotive works was described as an important piece of history representing a golden age of British engineering, part of Scotland’s industrial and railway heritage, and an important part of the history of Glasgow. They were noted as providing a window into the lives of thousands of workers. Comments highlighted the overwhelming external and internal architecture of the rail sheds and provided information on the use of the site during the Second World War. A number of respondents expressed hope that an appropriate use for the site could be found so that its heritage could be preserved.

One comment queried the potential for change to the building for alternative use, including the potential acceptability of sub-dividing the space, covering some of the tracks and pits and demolishing two of the smaller sheds.

After considering the comments received during the consultation, we have now listed the Former St Rollox Locomotive Works at category B.

Listed building record for Former St Rollox Locomotive Works (LB52603)

Our Report of Handling provides more detail on the comments received. This can be downloaded from our Heritage Portal

We have made some additional changes as a result of the comments received – our assessment and the listed building record have been amended to note the role of the locomotive works for military manufacture during the Second World War.

In response to the comments about future use, we provided general comments on the principles of adapting the internal space and replacing roof materials and indicated that we would be happy to engage in more detailed discussions about adaptive reuse once development proposals are more advanced.

The storage sheds flagged at consultation were once used for copper and iron and form part of and inform our understanding of the former locomotive works and therefore should be included within the listing. 

More Information

Our historic environment is always changing. Listing does not prevent change, but it does allow for a structure’s special character to be taken into account when changes are proposed. 

Listing does not mean that the Former St Rollox Locomotive Works should stay as it is forever - many buildings can be repurposed for different uses. 

You can find out more about listing in our booklet, Scotland’s Listed Buildings or find out more on our website:  

• How does the listing process work? 
• What is listing? 
• What does listing mean for owners? 

Our website also has more detail about the Listed Building Consent (LBC) and Conservation Area Consent (CAC) processes, as well as information on how to apply. There is additional guidance in our Managing Change series of publications.