55 and 57 Grant Street, Inverness, Inverness Central, Highland

Description

51-57 Grant Street is a circa 1821-1850, 2-storey and attic classical tenement and shops with a bowed corner bay on an acute-angled junction corner site. It is constructed in red sandstone laid in courses. The northeast elevation has three windows and four doors to the ground floor and four windows to the first floor. The bowed corner bay has a piended roof. The building has raised ashlar margins, a banded string course and a banded eaves course. There are three small piended dormers set into the pitch of the roof which is of grey slate. The 3-bay elevation to Upper Kessock Street has the lower section of a wallhead chimney stack at the first bay and to the right, a pair of square-plan, capped sandstone gatepiers accessing a courtyard to the rear.

The interior, seen in 2016, has been reconfigured. The main staircase at 57 Grant Street has a scrolled timber handrail.

Statement of Interest

51-57 Grant Street is a good surviving example of an early 19th century classically detailed residential and commercial property. It is distinctive in the streetscape because of the acute-angle corner site and it groups well with other 19th century buildings in its immediate vicinity. The exterior of the building largely maintains its early 19th century form and simple classical details, with a distinctive bowed bay, raised sandstone margins, banded string course and banded eaves course, piended corner roof and twin doors.

Age and Rarity

Grant Street, Inverness was largely developed from 1808 onwards when a wooden bridge was built across the Ness between Waterloo Place and Grant Street in 1808.

51-57 Grant Street occupies a V-plan, corner site on the south side of road. The building is shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1874, and the footprint of building with a yard to the rear remains largely unchanged since this date. The building is not shown on John Wood's town plan of Inverness of 1821, indicating that it was likely to have been built between 1821 and 1850. The proportions and stonework detailing of the building indicate the earlier end of that period.

55-57 Grant Street was occupied by John Ross, cabinet maker in 1873 (The Inverness Directory, 1873-74) and as a licensed grocer for much of the later 19th century. The business changed hands in 1910 (The Scotsman, 03 December 1910) and remained in use as a grocers and associated dwelling house until at least 1928 (Inverness Burgh Directory, 1928). The building continues to operate on a commercial basis with shops at the ground floor (2016).

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

The property has been largely reconfigured internally with no internal fixtures or fittings of particular note evident at the site visit carried out in 2016. The staircase at 57 Grant Street has a scrolled timber handrail and is typical for a property of this date.

Plan form

The use of a bowed end to the building on a V-plan corner site is a distinctive feature of this building and is used to address the irregular layout of the site. The enclosed courtyard area to the rear with capped sandstone gatepiers at the entrance evidences the commercial use of the building during the 19th century.

The internal plan form in terms of room layout has been partially re-worked and there is no particular internal interest in listing terms.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

The simple classical proportions of 51 to 57 Grant Street, with its bowed corner bay, raised margins, banded string course and banded eaves course detailing mark the building out as an example of early 19th classical burgh architecture in this area of Inverness, away from the town centre.

Setting

51-57 Grant Street is among the earliest surviving buildings in the street with classical proportions and detailing indicative of an earlier 19th century date. It is a distinctive in the streetscape because it is prominently sited on an acute-angle corner site and has a bowed corner bay with a piended roof. It forms a good group with later 19th century buildings in the vicinity.

Regional variations

None known at present.

2.3 Close Historical Associations

There are no known associations with a person or event of national importance at present (2016).

Statutory address, category of listing changed from B to C, and listed building record revised in 2016. Previously listed as '51-57 Grant Street (Odd Numbers Only)'.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing
Wikidata IDs Q17830655 Q17830660 Q56635614

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