The Water Tower
In 1971, the Labour Government was concerned about the balance of trade deficit and in an attempt to counteract the costly expense of importing aluminium; they invited tenders for three large aluminium plants.
The Invergordon aluminium smelter was constructed by BACO, around the early 70’s. This employed around 1000 people at its peak of production, but was an enterprise whose death was inevitable from the start: the costs of transmitting the electricity needed to smelt bauxite imported by sea from Jamaica simply made the operation uneconomic. The smelter was closed in 1981.
The smelter was impressive in its time. There were not enough houses for the incoming workers and many stayed in the BA caravan park until homes were built. The Smelter had its own Social Club, which pulled many famous artists.
Most of these buildings are all gone, except the water tower, which can be seen for miles.