History
Kirk o'Shotts, naturally, was the northern terminal for the 1951 television link from Manchester. The Post Office station was
built in a small compound just south of the TV transmitter. It featured a building of the style used at the other sites and a
relatively short steel tower carrying the two dishes facing Blackford Hill.
Later expansion added routes towards Carlisle (via Green Lowther) and towards Aberdeen (via East Lomond) with a link to
serve the radar site at Dundonald running via Greenfield. The route to the east was re-routed via Craiglockhart presumably
due to problems in expanding the original site at Blackford Hill. A temporary link was installed for the start of Grampian
Television in 1961 - at this stage the incoming "network" feed is understood to have been by cable to Glasgow with the
SHF link from Carlisle introduced later. The radar link was planned to be operational by 1968.
The 1969 OS plan at 1:2500 scale shows the addition of a second building, somewhat larger, and a second "mast" of large
cross-section, and labels the site "Kirk o'Shotts Post Office Television Relay Station" - an accurate description albeit
the role had by then expanded.
A Post Office technical drawing dated October 1969 gives details of modifications to the original 50 ft tower: the
top section (facing Blackford Hill) was to be dismantled, turned through 90 degrees and re-assembled to support
two dishes facing Green Lowther. The relative sequencing of this work and the construction of the "new" tower
is unknown, however it explains why the "old" tower appears to support dishes facing south in later photos.
Photos
1951
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 17503]
Although the dishes are in place it seems there is still work required to the building and the short "drive" from the
road.
1956
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 20804]
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 20808]
1960
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 24616]
Everything is now tidy - the presence of the mobile unit is not explained. The new building will occupy the area to the right of the tower.
1962
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 27381]
Viewed from the east - the 1951 tower still carries dishes facing Blackford Hill. The temporary link to East Lomond (centre)
was provided for Grampian Television, with temporary installations also required at East Lomond and Craigowl.
1975
Copyright BT Heritage [TCB417/E 64581]
Viewed from the south - the horns (and dish on the old tower) face Green Lowther. The radar link via Greenfield Hill and Craiglockhart
ran from left to right and the upper dishes are angled to face East Lomond.
1977
Copyright Richard Lamont
Richard comments: "Four structures are visible in this photo, which was taken in July 1977. The tall mast on the left was the main BBC VHF transmitter
for central Scotland. [...] The three towers on the right appear to be clustered together, but the left-most of the three is some distance
from the others. It's a link site in a US Naval Intelligence microwave route linking Thurso, Edzell and Londonderry [...]
The other two towers are BT's. The big one carried most of the links in operation at the time..."
The original 1952 tower still stands. By this stage the upper part had been rotated so the dish faces Green Lowther, the same direction
as the horn on the "new" structure. Other dishes on the main tower face away towards East Lomond with the single dish facing the camera
assumed to be towards Greenfield Hill for the radar link from Dundonald.
Late 1990s
Copyright David Foord
During the 1980s the VHF television service closed and the FM broadcasts transferred to Black Hill, nearby. The height of the broadcast
mast was reduced and a new antenna for DAB installed at the top. DAB was in-service by February 1998 so this photo is assumed to be from
the late 1990s or possibly early 2000s.
The 1951 tower remains, now empty, and the horn antennas have given way to large dishes. In this view the "new" building is visible. The
dishes facing the camera are assumed to be those linking with Green Lowther. On the right of the tower the upper dishes, angled away from
the camera, would face East Lomond. The lower dish on the right hand side is assumed to link with Craiglockhart. There appears to be at
least one dish "behind" the stucture, assumed also to be facing East Lomond.