Built in 1877 for the engineer David Kirkaldy to house his pioneering laboratory.  

The Trust bought the vacant freehold creating a museum and 'working community'.

The Industrial Buildings Preservation trust was founded in 1975.  Like all Buildings Preservation Trusts, it is a 'restorer of last resort' - that is, it takes on buildings of historical significance that have no future in the ordinary market place.

Unlike most BPTs, it is not regionally or locally based but can deal with buildings anywhere in the country, as long as they have an industrial connection.  That can cover anything from warehouses and wharves to rural buildings such as granaries - since agriculture is the industry of the countryside.

IBPT is a registered charity, no 270956.