A five-bay Free Venetian front uses round arches, a continuous upper window band and heraldic doorways to enliven Dockhead Street.
Quick facts
- Date
- Second decade of the twentieth century
- Architect / designer
- Designer not identified in the designation
- Type
- Free Venetian mixed-use street building
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB40502)
- OS grid reference
- NS 24566 41275
Architecture and continuing use
Doors in the outer bays have moulded surrounds and coats of arms, enclosing three round-headed ground-floor windows. Nine upper lights form a band beneath a heavy bracketed frieze and cornice, with a five-light dormer completing the attic.
Its story
Built in the second decade of the twentieth century, the range brought an urban Venetian vocabulary to mixed street premises near the harbour. Current directories identify Salvation Army activity at number 89, while address evidence records residential space within the pair.
Why it is included
It samples Saltcoats’ dense listed street fabric and shows how a highly composed frontage can accommodate changing charity and residential uses.
What to notice
- Coats of arms above the two outer entrances.
- Three round-headed windows between the doors.
- The nine-light horizontal band under the bracketed cornice.
Reading the surroundings
Use only a clearly open public entrance for the current organisation or an invitation from an occupant. Respect residential privacy and do not assume access across both numbered premises.
Timeline
- About 1910–1920 The five-bay Free Venetian range was built on Dockhead Street.
- 26 February 1980 Numbers 87 and 89 entered the statutory list together.
- 2024 The Salvation Army’s Scotland guide listed its Saltcoats address at number 89.
- 2026 Current address evidence continued to indicate mixed rather than single occupancy.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The exact internal division and every present occupant were not verified. Salvation Army evidence applies to number 89 and should not be extended automatically to number 87.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: 87–89 Dockhead Street, LB40502 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- The Salvation Army: Guide to Scotland 2024 — Organisation-issued address evidence for Salvation Army activity at 89 Dockhead Street.
- North Ayrshire Council: reuse charities directory — Council directory corroborating the current organisation and address.
- Trove search: 87 89 Dockhead Street Saltcoats — National collection search for site records, surveys and archive material.
Location
OS grid reference NS 24566 41275 · Location confidence: High for the current national designation point; public text separately states access, component-identity and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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