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MHG3729 - Early C19 Townhouse - 92 Academy Street, Inverness

Summary

An early C19 Townhouse in Academy Street, Inverness.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

An early C19 Townhouse in Academy Street, Inverness. One of a pair (see MHG46585 for the other - No.94).

The two townhouses were listed at Category B in 1981.

A desk based assessment of the two buildings, which included historical research, the findings of site visits and a statement of their significance was undertaken by APK Wright in 2009. It was submitted in support of a planning application for their demolition and redevelopment of the site. The properties are not shown on John Wood's map of Inverness of 1821, nor on the Great Reform Act map of 1832. An advertisement appearing in the Inverness Journal in July 1836, posted on 28 June by a local solicitor, may provide a clue that it had been developed only recently. It lists a number of properties for sale which had been owned by one of the town’s merchants, a Mr Lyon, whose shop premises and hardware business were on Church Street. It is clear from the notice of sale that the sons, William and Colin, were carrying on with their father’s business but, his estate was being sold in separate lots and included the premises where the family business was being conducted. A batch of properties on Academy Street, which from the street numbering at that time appear to be conterminous with one another, was listed as the third lot of the sale: 3d, The Dwelling Houses, Nos. 52, 54, 55, and 56, Academy Street, substantially built, and each affording ample accommodation for a respectable Family. There are Stables, Offices, Garden and Park, attached to No 54. Those Houses will be Sold in one Lot, or separately, as may suit offerers. The street numbering was substantially altered in later years, but Nos 56 and 58 were the properties subsequently 92 and 94. The properties remained in domestic use into the C20 but subdivison into domestic accomodation in the upper floors with office space in the lowers was carried out although later they had been converted to full commercial premises by the second half of the century. <1>

Planning permission for their demolition was refused in 2009.

The buildings received planning consent to be demolished in 2011.

Photographs were taken by S Farrell of the rear of the buildings during borehole drilling in 2014. <2>

A laser scan of the exterior of the buildings was undertaken in 2014 by Caintech Ltd as part of the archaeological recording required as a condition on the planning consent. <3>

A rectified photographic survey of the buildings was undertaken in 2014 by Rubicon Heritage as part of the archaeological recording required as a condition on the planning consent for their demolition. <3>

An internal and external photographic survey of the buildings was undertaken in 2014 by S Farrell as part of the archaeological recording required as conditions on the planning consent for their demolition. Photographs were also taken during their full demolition in November 2014. <4>

Trial trenching was carried out in 2014 by Rubicon Heritage Services at the rear of the buildings. The layout of the trial trenches was restricted to the open space at the rear of the main buildings as all other areas retained upstanding buildings and could not be investigated. All archaeological features identified contained artefacts consistent with a 19th or 20th century formation. No residual or in situ evidence was recovered for earlier activity on the site. It was concluded that any development of this site would be unlikely to encounter any significant archaeology. <5>

A watching brief was carried out by S Farrell in late 2014 during site clearance works following the demolition of the buildings. Below a layer of hard core gravel was mostly mixed infill up to 50cm deep. It contained slate fragments, lime mortar, scattered mammal bone fragments showing evidence of butchery, stoneware jar/jug fragments; misc tin-glazed sherd,; a glass wine bottle (made in a 3-piece mould, so probably early-mid C19) and a bone handle (for brush or pen). No features were revealed, other than those seen in the evaluation (see EHG5413), with areas of the site showing modern disturbance. The later included a steel-fuel tank to the NE corner of the site. <3>

Sources/Archives (5)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 6658 4554 (17m by 17m)
Map sheet	NH64NE
Civil Parish	INVERNESS AND BONA
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (6)

External Links (3)