An Arts-and-Crafts-inflected group built as nurses’ homes turns welfare provision and public commemoration into an unusually complete residential ensemble.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1902
- Architect / designer
- William C Joass
- Type
- Memorial cottage group with lych gate, outbuildings and boundary walls
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB44622)
- OS grid reference
- NH 54336 54962
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Squared rubble and ashlar dressings form ornamental single-storey and attic cottages with overlapping gables, tile-hung dormers and scalloped bargeboards. A timber lych gate, boundary walls and small outbuildings make the triangular island site part of the composition.
Its story
William C Joass designed the group in 1902 as nurses’ homes and a memorial to Sir Kenneth Smith Mackenzie of Gairloch. English and Gaelic plaques record his public service and the purpose of the foundation.
Why it is included
Category C listing protects not one façade but a coherent welfare-housing group whose cottages, gate, inscriptions and walls express early twentieth-century public remembrance.
What to notice
- The overlapping gables of Conon Cottage.
- Tile-hung dormers and decorative timberwork.
- The English and Gaelic memorial plaques beside the gate.
Reading the surroundings
Respect the homes as private residences. Read plaques only from lawful public space and do not enter the island site or photograph occupants.
Timeline
- 1900 Sir Kenneth Smith Mackenzie died after long county service.
- 1902 Public subscription created the nurses’ homes and bilingual memorial.
- Later 20th century Residential use succeeded the original nurses’ accommodation.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The 1997 designation described repair needs; no current condition survey or occupancy schedule was reviewed.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Conon Cottage and Conon Homes, LB44622 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Highland HER: Conon Cottage and Conon Homes — Original nurses’ use, Joass attribution, bilingual plaques and site-group description.
Location
OS grid reference NH 54336 54962 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms the Place relationship, history or current 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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