Two modest timber houses preserve an unusual 1938 experiment in rapid housing provision for an industrial district.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1938
- Architect / designer
- Red Cedar Supply Company for the Scottish Special Housing Association
- Type
- Pair of semi-detached Canadian timber bungalows
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB6664)
- OS grid reference
- NS 76440 59084
Architecture and continuing use
The paired single-storey homes use horizontal log-cabin boarding below sill level and timber shingles above. Small gabled porches stand on posts, while central paired windows and outer chimney stacks give the composition a balanced domestic scale.
Its story
The Scottish Special Housing Association commissioned the pair during its early experiments with timber construction between 1937 and 1941. They were erected quickly in a Special Area serving industry and were inspected by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their 1938 visit to the Empire Exhibition.
Why it is included
Category B listing recognises rare surviving Canadian timber Commissioners houses and their place in interwar experiments with accelerated public housing.
What to notice
- The change from horizontal boarding to shingles.
- Small porches carried on exposed timber posts.
- The paired plan expressed by symmetrical windows and chimneys.
Reading the surroundings
Both buildings are homes. Observe only from the public street, avoid photographing residents, and do not enter paths or gardens.
Timeline
- 1937–41 The housing association tested several forms of timber construction.
- 1938 The Carfin pair was completed for a royal inspection during the Empire Exhibition year.
- 1995 National listing recognised the experiment’s rarity.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Current private occupancy is deliberately not identified. Repairs and replacement materials may have altered details since the listing survey.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Buchan Road Timber Bungalows, LB6664 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove designation: LB6664 — Parallel national designation identity and archival context.
- British Listed Buildings: 1 Buchan Road — Accessible parallel record of the designation, location and housing experiment.
Location
OS grid reference NS 76440 59084 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access 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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