In pictures: The few remaining gems of Scotland's art deco heyday

Since their 1930s heyday, the great art deco buildings in Scotland have dwindled, but Martyn McLaughlin finds, a few gems have prospered

• Nardini's Caf in Largs, Ayrshire, pictured in 1991

THEY were dazzling emporiums built during the burgeoning age of consumerism, where sheepish young men could buy their dates an ice-cream, take in the latest talkie, or flick through the jukebox for something slow and easy.

When it first began to take root in Scotland, the art deco style of architecture was a cause for celebration. The Empire Exhibition, which was held in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park in 1938, enthralled millions of visitors with its sleek new designs, and inspired architects to follow its design principles.

For generations after their heyday, however, the art deco buildings of Scotland fell out of favour. Dismissed as relics, they were left to an ignominious decay, or torn down altogether. Only in recent years has the architecture of the 1930s discovered a legion of new fans. An exhibition at London's V&A museum proved hugely popular and, increasingly, designs north of the Border are enjoying sympathetic renovations that will ensure their charms live on well into the 21st century.

Yesterday, the White House building in Edinburgh's Craigmillar district was the latest to be assured a bright future. After lying empty for more than a decade, the first images emerged of how the public house, designed by William Innes Thomson, will look once a multimillion-pound regeneration project is complete.

Professor Charles McKean, an eminent Scottish architectural historian, who is regarded as the leading authority on art deco in Scotland and is a former chief executive of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, believes such buildings are to be cherished. Having been devised predominantly for entertainment purposes, they frequently changed hands, placing their future in jeopardy. He explained: "You don't really get art deco buildings used for housing or factories. They housed the likes of roadhouses, cinemas, ice rinks, milk bars, dancehalls, and cafs. The kind of businesses that changed hands, but had to be fashionable. They were buildings designed to draw people in, and get them to open their wallets. They symbolised the start of the consumer age."

Prof McKean, professor of Scottish architectural history at Dundee University, said it was important to recognise the impact of art deco architecture, particularly in those cities still inextricably linked to Victorian times. "In a city like Glasgow, it was a huge change. The art deco buildings shook up the architecture of industrial Scotland. Suddenly, you had these sleek buildings, that were shiny, or brilliant white, or with dazzling chrome fascias, appearing in soot black streets."

In his book The Scottish Thirties – an Architectural Introduction, McKean bemoaned the loss of several art deco buildings, such as the Tait Tower, a centrepiece of the 1938 exhibition, which could be seen from miles around. Others are still under threat, and arouse passion in those determined to preserve them. But art deco advocates are not always successful. Earlier this year, for example, plans to partially demolish a historic art deco garage in Glasgow were given the go-ahead, despite objections from more than 1,500 people.

Nevertheless, McKean said he hoped the White House development would help safeguard other buildings. "We're far on from where we were ten years ago," he said. "At one point, we were very close to losing the Maybury casino in Edinburgh. We go through phases of thinking the old is a drag, and not as good as the new. But after a while, you start to appreciate the old again."

From the nation's highest political offices through to little-known cafs, the architectural style features prominently not just in major cities, but deep in the countryside.

Here are some of the best.

1 NARDINI'S CAFE, LARGS, AYRSHIRE

A PROUD presence on the esplanade of the Ayrshire seaside town of Largs, Nardini's has been a favourite for generations of Central Belt families going "doon the watter" on steamers from the Broomielaw. The B-listed cafe was opened in 1935 by Pietro Nardini, from Tuscany.

Over the years, his grandsons, Pete, Aldo, Ricky, Robbie and Fabby ensured the family business prospered, with staff indundated with requests for a scoop or a sundae, especially during balmy Scottish summers.

However, after dominating the seafront for nearly seven decades, it closed its doors in 2004.

Thankfully, the caf's demise was only temporary. It reopened a few days before Christmas 2008 courtesy of a 2m rescue package put together by local businessmen.

2 TARLAIR POOL, NEAR MACDUFF

IN ITS heyday, it was the last word in outdoor leisure, an art deco masterpiece nestling at the foot of rugged cliffs. Since it closed in 1995, however, the outdoor swimming pool at Tarlair on the outskirts of Macduff, Banffshire, has fallen into disrepair, its white walls cracked and peeling, its waters uninviting.

The large swimming pool adjoins the boating pond and the art deco tea pavilion, and first opened in 1931. Its architect, John Miller, who was also the burgh surveyor for Macduff, designed the pool's outer wall to be fractionally below high-tide level, enabling waves to roll in over the edge, refilling it twice a day.

The pool was granted A-listed status by a concerned Historic Scotland four years ago. Aberdeenshire Council is currently assessing options to reuse the facility.

3 FORMER LUMA LAMP FACTORY, GLASGOW

BUILT in 1938, the former headquarters of the British Luma Co-operative Lamp company has become something of a landmark, visible from the M8 motorway. Complete with a curving 84ft glass tower and porthole-style windows, the building was unveiled to coincide with the British Empire Exhibition.

Despite its elegance, it long served as a place where lightbulbs were manufactured, before it was taken over by a firm which sold caravans and mobile homes. Plans to convert it into offices or a hotel never came to fruition, and from the 1980s, the property on Shieldhall Road lay in disrepair. It was converted into a block of flats in 1996, and has since won a raft of architectural awards.

4 NEW BEDFORD CINEMA, GLASGOW

IT WAS envisaged as a temple in which, in the 1920s, the masses Glasgow would be entertained, and eight decades on, the New Bedford Cinema in Glasgow is still fulfilling that purpose. Better known as the O2 Academy, the building now plays host to some of the world's most successful pop and rock acts.

Originally opened in 1921, the New Bedford was designed by Lennox & McMath, and was later used as a bingo hall until its closure in the early 1990s. The B-listed building was bought by the McKenzie Group in 2002, and restored at a cost of 3m.

5 BERESFORD HOTEL/BAIRD HALL, GLASGOW

BUILT in 1938 for the British Empire Exhibition, the Beresford Hotel is considered to be Glasgow's first skyscraper. Standing ten storeys tall, its faade and curved towers proved a popular design, adopted by many of the city's cinemas, enamoured by its New York-style glamour.

In the late 1940s, it became an office block, then it was bought by the University of Strathclyde in 1964. Renaming it Baird Hall, the institution turned the building into student accommodation.

In 2003, the building was sold to a private developer. A multimillion pound programme of works has returned the building to its stylish origins, and it now exists as an apartment block.

6 MAYBURY CASINO, EDINBURGH

DESIGNED by Patterson & Broom, the building dates back to 1935, and is one of the best-loved art deco properties in Scotland. Built on what was once called the Edinburgh Turnpike, renamed Maybury Road, the casino was, perhaps fittingly, originally a roadhouse. The entrance tower of the structure resembles the radiator grille of a classic American car, with zig-zag lines leading up to a flat roof. In his book, Essential Art Deco, Iain Zazcek describes its style as international modernism at its most severe.

7 FORMER INDIA TYRE FACTORY, INCHINNAN, RENFREWSHIRE

THE building, home to the airship that made the first two-way transatlantic crossing, was renovated six years ago, and now stands as an elegant monument to the West of Scotland's industrial heritage. Long besmirched by graffiti artists and vandals, Scotland's only commercially-used A-listed building is today home to the Amor Group, a leading software company.

Designed by architects Wallis, Gilbert & Partners, the factory first belonged to William Beardmore, and built cars, planes and airships, including the R34 which made the first return transatlantic flight. As part of its conversion, the elegant art deco frontage and flooring were kept intact, with modern sympathetic extensions added.

8 ST ANDREW'S HOUSE, EDINBURGH

BUILT on the former site of Calton Jail, on the south side of Calton Hill, between 1934 and 1939 by Thomas Tait, Scotland's foremost interwar architect, St Andrew's House is considered one of the most significant examples of art deco architecture north of the Border.During its history, the vast A-listed building has been home to the offices of successive Scottish secretaries. Of late, it has served as the offices of the Scottish Government and the First Minister. A refurbishment nine years ago preserved many art deco features.