A steep roof, irregular windows and external forestair preserve a house older than Helmsdale's formal nineteenth-century fishing-village grid.
Quick facts
- Date
- Early to mid-18th century; later wing
- Architect / designer
- Unknown
- Type
- Harled two-storey house with forestair and steep slate roof
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB7194)
- OS grid reference
- ND 02856 15230
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The harled three-bay house has ashlar margins, a central door and unevenly placed upper windows. An external stair climbs the gable to a first-floor entrance; moulded chimney cornices and a steep slate roof contrast with a later side wing.
Its story
Built in the early or mid-eighteenth century, the house predates planned Helmsdale. Harbour construction and Shore Street development later changed its setting, but the older form survived behind the nineteenth-century waterfront.
Why it is included
Category C listing protects rare evidence that the harbour area had domestic occupation before the estate's formal fishing settlement was imposed.
What to notice
- Forestair reaching a first-floor gable doorway.
- Irregular window spacing across the older front.
- Steep roof and moulded chimney cornices.
Reading the surroundings
Treat the building and rear court as private. View only from lawful public routes and do not enter closes, stairs or adjoining property.
Timeline
- Early–mid-18th century A harled house occupied the shore before formal village planning.
- After 1818 Harbour and fishing development transformed the surrounding streets.
- 1987 The surviving early fabric entered the national list.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The exact date, sequence of the side wing and present use are not documented in the reviewed sources.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Shore Street Old House, LB7194 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove: Helmsdale Old Harbour — National-record harbour context, archival views and relationship to the older Shore Street fabric.
Location
OS grid reference ND 02856 15230 · 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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