History in Structure

Custom House, 5-7 Register Street, Bo'Ness

A Category B Listed Building in Bo'Ness, Falkirk

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Coordinates

Latitude: 56.0185 / 56°1'6"N

Longitude: -3.606 / 3°36'21"W

OS Eastings: 299982

OS Northings: 681781

OS Grid: NS999817

Mapcode National: GBR 1R.SZSS

Mapcode Global: WH5QW.LZ1J

Plus Code: 9C8R299V+9H

Entry Name: Custom House, 5-7 Register Street, Bo'Ness

Listing Name: 14 - 20 (Even Nos) Union Street and 3 - 11 (Odd Nos) Register Street, Former Custom House

Listing Date: 25 November 1980

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 357960

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB22400

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200357960

Location: Bo'Ness

County: Falkirk

Town: Bo'Ness

Electoral Ward: Bo'ness and Blackness

Traditional County: West Lothian

Tagged with: Architectural structure

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Description

William Simpson of Stirling, circa 1880. Extensive 2-storey commercial range with splayed angle to W. Deep base course forming ground floor cill course, stepped band course and eaves course. Squared and snecked bull-faced rubble with ashlar dressings. Roll-moulded segmental-headed openings to ground and basket-arched openings to 1st floor; deeply moulded doorheads; hoodmoulds with label stops; bracketted piend roofs; raked cills; stop-chamfered arrises, stone transoms and mullions.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: prominent centre bay with paired panelled timber doors and plate glass fanlights linked under segmental hoodmould with high relief carved crown flanked by 'V' and 'R', bipartite window at 1st floor giving way to cast-iron letters 'CUSTOM HOUSE' breaking eaves into corbelled cornice and piended roof. Flanking bays with single and bipartite windows punctuated by 2 further doors to left and 1 to right at ground, and smaller piend-roofed 1st floor bays; bay to outer left with transomed bipartite window at 1st floor with floreate carved top 'lights' flanked by canine gargoyles and breaking eaves into spike-finialled pavilion roof.

E ELEVATION: single window to ground with bipartite to 1st floor.

S (REGISTER STREET) ELEVATION: similar door and window treatment.

4-pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with cans. Decorative cast-iron finials.

INTERIOR: little altered interiors retaining decorative plasterwork cornices and centre roses; stone dog-leg staircases with decorative cast-iron balusters; architraved surrounds, panelled timber shutters and carved and plain timber fire surrounds. Also with etched glass screen door and tiled hall to No 7 Register Street.

Statement of Interest

In 1672 Bo'ness received 'the liberty to export, import and retail' and subsequently the customs office was transferred here from Blackness. When a protest was sent to Edinburgh's provost from Linlithgow's town council, they were informed that they would have to provide, rent free for a year, a 'convenient office house', as well as 'accommodation for officers, merchants and mariners' together with boats, horses and workmen to enable the merchants to work 'at as easy rates as they were used to'. This requirement indicating the high standards offered at Bo'ness. The large property produced is evidence of the scale of trade and nature of the economy in Bo'ness at this date.

External Links

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