Building record MHG52385 - GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY, RAILHEAD MILITARY DEPOT

NJ02NW 157 centred 02550 27164
This former World War II Ordnance supply or railhead depot is situated to about 333m NNE of the site of Grantown-on-Spey West Station (NJ02NW 96).
The depot consists of two large double span 'elephant' huts and four half-size double span elephant huts with four Nissen huts all within an area of about 1.95 hectares. The depot formerly was rail connected. Originally there were additional Nissen huts and wooden huts, but these have been removed since the early 1950's. To the S of the former station ste, at c.NJ 0231 2667 about 200m NNE of Kirkton house are a further group of six conjoined 'elephant' huts all with a series of skylights. The material used for the roof supports of the large huts is similar to scaffolding steel and all have a central gutter between the two sections. The elephant hut centred at NJ 02496 27098 also shows evidence of use as an animal market with wooden stalls and a modern extension to the S, whilst the hut at NJ 02542 27194 retains above the entrance the painted sign 'Highland Omnibuses'. The depot is visible on postwar oblique aerial photographs (540 (A)/380, frames 0093-0096, 0117-0118, flown 9 May 1948 and they are also depicted as roofed on the OS 1:2500 scale map ( NJ0226-0326, 1953-57) and annotated 'Cattle Mart' and 'Bus Depot'. The huts in part of the area is proposed for demolition and redevelopment.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE), 26 August 2008 <1>

Martin Briscoe has submitted photographs of this site to the Highland HER Flickr group. <2>