Columba Hotel, North Pier And Corran Esplanade, Oban, Oban, Argyll and Bute

Description

Hotel composed of 2 distinct contrasting blocks of different dates, adjoined, and with principal elevations facing opposite directions.

MID TO LATER 19TH CENTURY BUILDING: 3-storey and attic, 6-bay by 4-bay rectangular plan with French style detailing. Bull-faced, squared and snecked grey granite with stugged margins.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: asymmetrical elevation of 6 bays distinguished by wrought-iron balconies. Bays to outer left, gabled (as return of N elevation); 4 narrow windows, closely spaced, at ground and 1st floor, single window in gablehead. 4-storey and attic tower in flanking bay to right, arched doorway at base flanked by polished, capitalled, granite columns, fanlight with keystone. Bipartite windows at ground floor of bays 4, 5, and 6.

N ELEVATION: symmetrical facade with gable breaking eaves at centre. Regular fenestration, 4-bay at ground and 1st floor, 3 bays at 2nd floor and in gablehead.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical facade of 6 bays. 2 bays to outer left closely spaced, stair windows. 2 bays to outer right, gabled (as return of N elevation) with single window in gablehead, 4 narrow windows, closely spaced, at ground and 1st floors (as W elevation).

Timber casement windows with single sash above to 1st and 2nd floor of W elevation. Timber plate-glass sash and case windows elsewhere. Grey slate roof, barge boards with timber brackets supported on small stone corbels. Bell-cast, pyramidal roof to tower with exposed rafter ends, dormer to each face and brattishing. Pitched-roof, slate-hung dormers with pointed-arch windows, decorative barge boards and iron finials. Decorative wrought and cast-iron balconies with brackets at 1st and 2nd

floors of W and N elevations. Large metal lettering on each elevation, "Columba Hotel". Tall, coped wallhead stack with octagonal cans at W elevation.

1902 BUILDING: Queen Anne with Glasgow Style detailing. 3-storey and attic block, 3-bay with centrepieces to each elevation, flanked by blank bays; circular corner towers at SE, SW, and NW corners. Square plan, red sandstone ashlar with shops at ground floor. Arched, architraved doorway at SE corner, pilasters with decorative capitals and keystone, supporting tower corbel above. Large, flat-roofed single storey former Steam Packet offices adjoined to W elevation.

S ELEVATION: symmetrical above shopfronts. 3-bay centrepiece breaking eaves, with corniced wallhead. Framed at 1st and 2nd floors by pilasters, those at 2nd floor panelled, tapering, Ionic capitalled. String courses at 1st and 2nd floor cill levels and wallhead cornice, advanced at pilasters. Cartouche superimposed on frieze above each 1st floor pilaster. Segmental pediment centred over wallhead cornice, surmounted by large stack. 1st floor centre bay with cartouche dated 1902, 2nd floor centre bay with carved script "Columba Hotel". Circular towers at outer corners (comprised of bowed corner bays breaking eaves in drum towerheads), decorated at 3rd floor with panelled and capitalled pilasters tapered to base, string courses, cornice at

eaves.

W ELEVATION: as above, but with parapet broken by open pediment over cartouche containing carved script "Columba Hotel". Large stacks flanking centrepiece, each with open pediment over cartouche and corbel at base.

E ELEVATION: as S elevation, but with corner tower at S end of elevation only. Triangular pediment over wallhead cornice, surmounted by large stack. Bay to left of centrepiece with projecting corbelled stack; matching stack at N end of elevation.

N ELEVATION: gable end of west elevation exposed to west of older building. Single bay to left, fluted stack with pediment, superimposed with cartouche over corbel at base, offset to left of apex. Modern timber entrance porch flanked by bipartite windows.

1st and 2nd floor windows timber sash and case with meeting rail concealed behind transom, plate glass lower half, glazing bars

above. Tripartite windows flanking S elevation centre bay, bipartite windows flanking centre bay of W and E elevations. Tripartite windows in right hand bay of E elevation, transomed windows in centre bay of W elevation. Corner towers; 3 narrow windows, closely spaced, at each floor. Box-dormers; timber, tile-hung with plate glass lower sashes, glazing bars above. Red tiled roof and bell-cast tower domes with disc finials. Profiled gutters, cast-iron downpipes flanking towers with semi-octagonal hoppers. Red sandstone ashlar stacks, corniced with terracotta cans, string course, vertical banding terminated by segmental and triangular pediments below.

Statement of Interest

The Dean of Guild records a Hotel for John Stuart MacCaig, by J Fraser Sim 1885, with chimney heights raised in 1890. Internal alterations by Alexander Shairp of 1893, and 1898. This is Oban's most prominent hotel, visible from all parts of the town.

External Links

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