Two parallel stable ranges and their gated court retain the working geometry of Novar even after conversion to accommodation.
Quick facts
- Date
- Late eighteenth or early nineteenth century; later residential and estate conversion
- Architect / designer
- Not identified in the checked sources
- Type
- Paired stable and carriage-house ranges around a court
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB340)
- OS grid reference
- NH 61203 68006
Architecture and continuing use
Two-storey, five-bay blocks stand parallel to one another, joined at each end by walls and ball-finialled gatepiers. Harled elevations, ashlar margins and hipped slate roofs give the court a formal unity. A broad segmental-arched carriage opening in the west range preserves its practical estate function.
Its story
The stables were built in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century as part of Novar’s service landscape. Later alterations changed ground-floor windows and gables. HES records conversion to dwellings, while more recent heritage material refers to estate accommodation or a shooting lodge; the exact internal arrangement is not public.
Why it is included
The group shows how horses, vehicles, staff and storage were organised architecturally behind the country house.
What to notice
- Parallel ranges enclosing a narrow service court.
- Ball-finialled gates repeating details used elsewhere at Novar.
- The keystoned carriage arch in the west block.
Reading the surroundings
The converted buildings are private. Do not enter the courtyard, drives or estate land without permission; observe only from lawful routes.
Timeline
- Late 18th–early 19th century Paired ranges were built for horses, vehicles and estate service.
- 1983 The stable court received Category C listing.
- Early 21st century Recorded conversion introduced residential or estate accommodation.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Public sources use different descriptions for the later conversion. The current private room uses and surviving fittings have not been verified.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Novar Stables, LB340 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: Novar Stables — National collection entry corroborating designation identity, mapped position and related archive material.
- Highland Historic Environment Record: Novar House stables — Local record for the stable group and later conversion evidence.
- Novar Estate: history and present-day landscape — Estate account of its long history, present custodianship and working landscape around Evanton.
Location
OS grid reference NH 61203 68006 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies the extent of multi-part sites, access and any present-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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