Building record MHG17030 - Dornoch, 2 Castle Street, Sule Skerry

An early 19th-century two storey, 3-bay house, one of a pair with 1 Castle Street. <1>

External photographs of the house and cottage were submitted to the HER in connection with a planning application for alterations and sub-division into two dwellings.
There are anecdotal reports that the front ground floor room of the house contained a jewellers shop at some time before 1955. The house was bought around 1955 by the owner of Dornoch Castle Hotel. The house was altered to accommodate the four dormer windows and the three storey section may have been re-roofed at this time. The main house was used by the Dornoch Castle Hotel as staff accommodation during the summer months and as winter accommodation by the owners when the hotel was closed. Part of the house was extended and this cottage (known as Honeysuckle Cottage) was used as family accommodation for the Dornoch Castle gardener/handyman.
In 1972 the house was bought by the parents of the present owner and both house and cottage were extensively upgraded. Secondary glazing was installed throughout, an outhouse was demolished and replaced by a large flat-roofed utility, store room and coat cupboard. The utility had a large dome-type plastic roof-light. A wooden garage was erected with gates making a secure rear yard. Between the garage and the rear retaining drystone wall, a raised garden was made, initially for growing vegetables and latterly planted with shrubs. The owner's grandfather occupied the self-contained cottage until his death in 1976. After this the doorways between the cottage and the house were opened up and the property used as one large house. <2>