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MHG36270 - Former Water Tower, Naust

Summary

c.1950s water tower converted to house. It has incorrectly thought to be the pump house associated with the Second World War activity in Loch Ewe, but the building post-dates the war by several years.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

Created automatically by NMRS Register Utility
User: Admin, Date: Wed 13 Oct 2004
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NG88SW 5.00 centred 8276 8314

NG88SW 5.01 NG 8290 8350 Pier
NG88SW 5.02 centred NG 8308 8317 Military Camp

This World War II pump station for fresh water is now a private house with most of the elements of the site on private land. The pump house, water tank, pipework and the pier are on the E side of the road. The two dams and some pipework are on the W side.
Loch Ewe was a convoy assembly point and Naval Anchorage, where a lot of ships would require fresh water, The large house, now painted white was the Admiralty Pump House. The large circular tank, depicted on the current OS 1:10560 map (1968) has been removed.
J Guy 2000; NMRS MS 810/10, Vol.1, 49, Vol.3, 25-6

A visit to the former pumping station/tank found that though a house has been built on the site, some of the filtration system survived in the lower part of the building. The present owner has retained elements of the water system in the basement of the house. A further two brick built buildings, (NG 82750 83391), one of which retains soem inetrnal pipework are situated about 17m S of the Allt Donn just E of the road bridge.
The jetty was not visited.
The large 30m diameter tank shown on the OS 1:10560 scale map is visible on RAF vertical air photographs (CPE/Scot/UK183, 4258-4259, 8 October 1946) within an embanked semi-enclosure. Several huts and hut bases are also visible in the vicinity, including a group of three hut bases at NG 8308 8317 (NG88SW 5.02).
The jetty, (from NG 82888 83469 to NG 82915 83537) also seen on the air photographs is depicted on the current OS digital 1:2500 scale maps.
Visited by RCAHMS, (DE,GS, JG, SW), August 2000

The 'White House' is not the former pumping station associated with the Second World War Activity at Loch Ewe. The building is not depicted on the 1947 aerial photographs and does not appear on OS mapping until 1966. The pump house (and a set of tanks) are actually located c.60m to the east and are no longer extant. Information from Allan Kilpatrick (RCAHMS) suggests that the White House was a water tower built in the 1950s which fell out of use following the construction of the NATO base at Aultbea in the late 1960s. It was converted to a house shortly thereafter. <1>

Sources/Archives (1)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 8275 8313 (14m by 16m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG88SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	GAIRLOCH

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