A vigorous Baronial hotel addresses the River Ness with gables, bays and balconies.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built 1881; extended 1938
- Architect / designer
- Alexander Ross; 1938 extension designer not identified in the designation
- Type
- Free Baronial hotel with neo-Baronial extension
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB35328)
- OS grid reference
- NH 66462 45081
Architecture and continuing use
Broad gables, canted first-floor bays, carved capitals and iron balcony rails animate the 1881 front; a 1938 extension continues the Baronial language.
Its story
Alexander Ross designed the hotel in 1881. A substantial neo-Baronial extension followed in 1938, and the building continues in hotel use.
Why it is included
It links Inverness’s nineteenth-century tourism growth with an enduring riverside hospitality use.
What to notice
- Broad gables framing the front.
- Canted bays above the altered ground floor.
- Wrought-iron balcony balustrades.
Reading the surroundings
This is a working hotel. Public dining spaces and accommodation follow current opening and booking arrangements.
Timeline
- Built 1881 Alexander Ross designed the hotel in 1881. A substantial neo-Baronial extension followed in 1938, and the building continues in hotel use.
- Present Operating hotel, restaurant and bar.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The ground floor has been altered and current internal finishes should not be assumed to be original.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Columba Hotel, LB35328 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural interest.
- Columba Hotel Inverness — Current hotel, dining, address and contact information.
Location
OS grid reference NH 66462 45081 · Location confidence: High: the HES designation provides an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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