Monument record MHG23485 - Salt water baths, Restaurant, Shaw's hotel and Marine cottages - The Links, Nairn

John Wood’s map published in 1821 called ‘Plan of the Town of Nairn from actual survey’ shows a ‘bathing house’ as a single rectangular stand-alone building on the links at Nairn. <1>

The original building of 1821 was constructed from plain red sandstone. <2>

Between 1821 and 1856, the baths were vastly improved to include six bath rooms and two dressing rooms as well as hot and cold showers and open sea bathing. At this time, this was the only establishment of its kind in the north. <2>

The OS 1:500 map surveyed in 1867-8 shows the same rectangular building but it had been extended to the north with a small square addition. The salt water baths appear within a walled enclosure which extends to the south and appeared to include a designed landscape garden area. Another building had been erected in the north west of the courtyard which was labelled as a restaurant. Outside of the walled area to the east a small building has been constructed with two paved/bricked extensions to the north on either side of the north face of the building. A large gateway provided access to the courtyard in the south, as well as four smaller access gates at the northern end of the enclosure, two either side of the bath building itself, one on the western wall north of the restaurant and the last on the eastern wall opposite the restaurant. These modifications may have been the extensions and improvements developed between 1821 and 1856. <3>

The 2nd edition 6 inch OS Map published in 1906 shows the same enclosure and buildings however, the building previously labelled as a restaurant had been extended to the south, almost to the full length of the walled area. The small building to the east outside of the walled enclosure had also been extended. The baths are no longer labelled, but the complex has been noted as ‘Shaw’s Hotel’. <4>

The 25 inch OS Map published in 1964 shows the same enclosed area with both the long building extending from north to south along the western wall (again noted as a hotel). The building, to this date labelled as salt water baths in the north, was relabelled as ‘Marine Cottage’. The building to the east of the walled courtyard had been demolished and a smaller ‘shelter’ had been constructed in its place. <5>