Building record MHG57112 - WWII N.S.O. Transit Shed - Pier Shop, Invergordon

A WWII N.S.O. Transit Shed in what is now the Pier Shop, Invergordon.

The building was investigated in 2015 as part of the ARCH project 'Invergordon in World War I'. During WWI land was reclaimed on the shore, by filling in from approximately the Central pier to Oakes Villa Stores. Railway lines were constructed along the shore to the east for transporting infill material. A WWI aerial photo shows few buildings in this area during WWI. However, by WWII there are a number within the area, as shown by a wartime plan in private collection and aerial photos. The infill area was for the most part taken over by the M.O.D., with a line running south from Shore Road. In the infill area to the east of the Admiralty Pier a railway line ending in three spurs is shown on an aerial photo of 1930 but only one building near the end of the pier. On a WWII plan in private possession there are several buildings shown. A large rectangular building with narrower extensions on both east and west sides is labelled N.S.O. Transit Shed, with the eastern half transferred to the S.C.E. as a store and the western half to the B.A.O. as a store. An aerial photo from the early 1960s shows it was raised on supports, with the railway on the south side providing good access for loading and unloading. Currently (2015) this is the Pier Shop. The building has some unusual metal framed windows, date unknown. The supports on the south and north side are different. The railway no longer runs along here. <1>