A dated Georgian range preserves the square’s original mixture of ground-floor trade and domestic rooms above.
Quick facts
- Date
- Dated 1822
- Architect / designer
- Builder unknown
- Type
- Georgian houses and shops
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB37520)
- OS grid reference
- NR 86186 87975
Architecture and continuing use
The two-storey rendered range has a slate roof, rolled skewputts and three doorways framed by Doric pilasters, architraves and cornices. An outside stair and later rear additions record continuing adaptation.
Its story
The 1822 date belongs to Lochgilphead’s formative planned-town phase. Subdivision created three principal properties, with shops occupying altered ground floors and domestic accommodation above when the designation was prepared.
Why it is included
It is a representative sample of the square’s repeated early street fabric and makes the relationship between planned architecture, shopping and housing easy to read.
What to notice
- The skewputt carrying the 1822 date.
- Doric framing around the three principal doorways.
- How later shop openings sit within the earlier two-storey rhythm.
Reading the surroundings
Use the public pavement and keep entrances clear. Shops may admit customers during opening hours; upper floors and other units should be treated as private.
Timeline
- 1822 The west-side range was completed and dated.
- 20 July 1971 The group entered the statutory list.
- 2020 The council adopted a conservation appraisal covering the square.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
HES records a historic split between shops below and housing above, but current occupancy can change and was not checked unit by unit.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Houses and Shops, Colchester Square West, LB37520 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Argyll and Bute Council: Lochgilphead Conservation Area Appraisal — Official analysis of Colchester Square, current townscape and conservation priorities.
- Argyll and Bute Council: conservation areas — Current council explanation of conservation-area protection and management.
- Trove search: Colchester Square Lochgilphead 1822 — National collection search for site records, surveys and archive material.
Location
OS grid reference NR 86186 87975 · Location confidence: High for the current national designation point; public text separately states access, component-identity and current-use uncertainty. · 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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