Building record MHG53389 - Dunbeg House, North Ballachulish

Dunbeg House is amongst the most unusual works of the prolific Inverness architects Ross & Macbeth. The house was commissioned by the Bishop of Argyll, James Broderick Chinnery-Haldane. It is dated 1902 and is in the "Swiss" Arts and Crafts style, with three storeys and four bays. The main construction is of pink harled brick, with a stone and mass-concrete balcony with decorative ironwork to the principal elevation facing the loch. This is an early example of the use of mass-concrete in this way on the West Coast and the use of pink harl is also fairly uncommon. Extensive renovations were undertaken in 1995 with some fireplaces being removed from ancillary rooms. The associated jetty was also rebuilt in slate in 1995. The original clay ridge roofing tiles were removed in 2006. It was listed at Category B in 2007. <1> Further information is available in Historic Scotland's description of the building.

When Alltshellach House became a commando hospital during the Second World War, Dunbeg House was used as the nurses' residence. It was then largely unoccupied until 1995. <2>

The house contains two original fire surrounds which are believed to be by Wylie and Lochhead of Glasgow on the basis of comparisons with their other work. In 1902 the pair were at the height of their fame, having received acclaim for their pavilion at the 1901 Glasgow Internal Exhibition. Their version of Art Nouveau became known as "The Glasgow Style". <3>

The building was re-assessed against the listing criteria by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016. It was found to still meet the criteria at Category B but it was recommended that the statutory address and listed building record be amended and updated. <4>

The statutory address and listed building record were amended and updated by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016. <5>