Building record MHG56905 - Late C18-early C19 building - Eskadale, High Street, Ardersier

A late (?) C18-early C19 building, formerly a house and shop, now converted to a single dwelling house on the High Street, Ardersier.

A rapid review of the Ardersier Conservation Area in 2014 by the Highland Council Historic Environment Team resulted in a recommendation to Historic Scotland to potentially list the building. It dates to the early to mid C19, possibly earlier. Large, imposing 2 storey wide 4-bay building fronting ‘The Square’. Many intact features including 6x6 sash and case windows, doubleleaf door, decorative cast iron rainwater goods, coped stacks, chimney pots, slate roof etc. Plan not much altered since 1st edition OS map c.1874. Eskadale was originally built as a dwelling with attached shop. It was combined to form a single dwelling along with significant alterations to the front elevation, probably as a single phase of works, in the late C19 – early C20th. The building is unique in Ardersier and notably differs from the gable-end fronted cottages common in the village and the more atypical 3-bay 2 storey houses. Eskadale was originally a modest 2-storey 5-bay building that has since undergone significant degree of aggrandisement. Originally, the southern bay was a separate narrow 3-bay unit which functioned as a shop, the central doorway (flanked by two windows) opened directly onto The Square, as did the main doorway of the adjoining portion of the building. The aggrandisement, assumed to be early 20th century and undertaken in a single phase, significantly altered the appearance of the building and it is now the most visually dominant building in The Square. The shop has been amalgamated with the remainder of the building to form a single dwelling, with the shop doorway converted to a window and the first floor openings reconfigured. <1> <2>

The building was assessed by Historic Scotland in May 2014 with the final decision being not to add the building to the statutory list. <3>