Councillor David McBride and council leader Councillor Martin Rooney were joined by West Dunbartonshire Council chief executive Peter Hessett, and Clark Contracts representatives on site on Tuesday 16th April to mark the start of the major development.

Main contractor Clark Contracts will be completing the £7.2 million refurbishment and conversion of the iconic building, on the town’s high street, to create a state-of-the-art library, museum and community facility.

The works include the construction of a three-storey extension to create extra space to house the library and museum. Museum displays will be integrated throughout the building, featuring key objects from the Council’s museum, archive, and local history collections that tell stories of Dumbarton. Items on display will include some of the oldest in the council’s collection, including a Roman Medallion from 193AD and the bronze ‘Skellat Bell’ from around 900AD.

In addition, a standalone children’s library pavilion will be created at the back of the building, opening out onto a library garden centred on the existing tree which will become the garden’s ‘storytelling tree’.

The current Dumbarton Library building will be transformed into a community collections store and archive. This new facility will, for the first time, enable access to the stored objects and documents in West Dunbartonshire’s heritage collections. It will also create new and exciting opportunities for the local community and visitors to the area to engage with, explore and learn more about the collections.

The works are part of West Dunbartonshire Council’s wider ambitions to regenerate Dumbarton Town Centre alongside improving active travel and connectivity between the Town Centre, waterfront path and Dumbarton Central train station. The project has received funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund which consists of £19.9m to complete three projects to improve the town centre. The council has also allocated £2.2m of funding towards these projects.

Due for completion in 2025, the enhanced Glencairn House will be open for public use, allowing communities and visitors to take advantage of the full complement of spaces and activities in the building for many years to come.

Councillor David McBride, convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: This is a real milestone not just for the redevelopment of Glencairn House but also for the town of Dumbarton, as a whole. The building, which has been vacant for a number of years, is central to the High Street and its refurbishment will breathe new life into the town centre, right in the heart of our community. These ambitious plans will ensure we have a fit-for-purpose facility that will also recognise and preserve the significant history of Glencairn House.”

Michael Scanlan, director at Clark Contracts, added: “We are looking forward to working with West Dunbartonshire Council and the design team, to bring this vision to life and restore the heritage of Glencairn House, right in the heart of the community. We hope the local community and visitors to the area enjoy the new facilities when complete.”