Dovecot Studios

Following advice in a newspaper article, which encouraged us to eschew foreign Christmas Markets in favour of local crafts, we went to see what was on offer by the 'cohort of Scottish makers' selling their wares in the Gallery area of Dovecot Studios.
The article did not mention the £1 entrance fee, nor the average price of goods on sale. High quality they certainly are but beyond our price range for Christmas gifts. However, I did not leave empty-handed as a gentleman silversmith gave me one of the black serpentine stones he had brought for his table display and was not intending to carry them all the way back to where they originated, the Shetland Island of Unst, 

The blip is unrelated to the craft show but is on display on the landing, and refers to the conversion from the previous life of the building as the Infirmary Street Swimming Baths to the Dovecot Studios in 2005. The notice reads:
Seismic Column 
Conserved by Graciela Ainsworth 2005-2008


This is an example of one of the cores drilled from the base of the swimming pool basin.
These were recovered by the director of Dovecot Studios, David Weir, during the redevelopment of the building in 2005.
The original plans by architect Robert Morham indicated a depth of about 30cm beneath the bottom of the pool tiles, but once excavation started it was discovered that the depth of concrete was 182cm in parts - a truly victorian belt-and-braces approach to constructing a building 'built to last'.