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MHG43786 - Tigh-an-Aigh, 13 High Street, Rosemarkie

Summary

Former bakery and later post office

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Ms Seright the owner of the property discussed the history of the house. Rebuilt by her family c1900 on a tenement formerly occupied by the minister in the 1700s. Reports of the discovery of antler tools recovered when house rebuilt, but these are now lost. Believes the foundations of the current house are bedded onto sand with occupation deposits removed - HAW 02/2005

13 High Street (private house) Post Office
The OS map 1904 edition records this as the location for the Post Office. It was the Post Office again in the 1930s when Mabel Fraser, wife of George Fraser, ironmonger, was Post Mistress. She also sold sweets and wool. The Post office is also recorded as part of Hugh Homes’s Grocer/Ironmonger (Slater’s Directory 1911) in what is now Doric House. Daniel Fraser took over the Post Office from his sister-in-law, Mabel, after the Second World War when he moved into George’s Ironmongery (now known as ‘Comfort Foods’) The PO stayed in that building as part of Alexander’s General Store. The modern Post Office operated from 37, High Street until 2005. There was also a Post office pre 1900, in the grounds of the Plough Inn (building in front of Plough –now demolished). <1>

The Bakery –George McFarlane (Slater’s 1911) had a house and shop with a bake house in the rear. George McFarlane was a baker and confectioner employing his wife, Elizabeth, Donald Macdonald, journeyman baker and James H.F.Fraser, apprentice baker. Local legend has it that James Fraser the Baker in Fortrose purchased the property to prevent it being run as a bakery in competition with him. Understandable perhaps as when George Macfarlane went bankrupt there were three bakers in the village as well as two bakeries in Fortrose.

James Fraser retired to Rosemarkie before the Second World War, to live in ‘Seafield House ‘. When he sold up his Fortrose business he also sold his defunct Rosemarkie bakery to Harold Alexander, Baker in Fortrose. But again the bakehouse was never used as a bakery. Miss Mary Ann MacGillivray took over as tenant in 1915 and renamed it Tigh-an-Aigh, She ran her general store in the premises opposite, now called Doric House. Ice cream was sold in the summer months from Tigh-an-Aigh, the house that even now looks so much like a shop, but it continued to be a private residence. Freda Bassindale, Rosemarkie People and Places, describes how the bricks from the oven have been used to create a paved area at the back of the house. <2>

(see MHG29571 for earlier building. T.Blackie 6/10/22)

(see MHG29571, MHG34337, MHG34338, MHG47325 for fragments of eary medieval carved stones found in garden. T.Blackie 6/10/22))

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 7363 5759 (26m by 14m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH75NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ROSEMARKIE

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Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

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