ALBION HOUSE - A short history

Albion House, Main Street, Lairg, Sutherland

Self Catering Holiday Accommodation
at
ALBION HOUSE
Main Street, Lairg, Sutherland, IV27 4AR

The Staircase Window

    The house was probably built in the latter half of the 19th Century, being originally a detached town house, with gardens all around. There is a photograph from this time in the house.

Plan


Plan of Albion house
    At the turn of the century the shop and flat next door (now the Oasis Grocery store) were added. The windows and door on this side of the house were closed off.

    I imagine the present kitchen was once a small bedroom or walk-in linen store, or possibly just a large landing. I cannot explain the strange position of the light in the master bedroom but looking at the coving it is obvious that there were changes to its shape to alter the corridor.  It is possible that there was no bathroom originally and another bedroom here was converted to make the present one - the waste pipe is certainly an add-on!

  Long ago a reception room and kitchen downstairs were converted into a shop, now the pharmacy. For many years the pharmacist lived on the premises, and used the hatch in the cupboard under the stairs to dispense medicines out of hours. Some elderly Lairg residents can remember this.
Since then, the first-floor back bedroom was divided into two rooms and all the fireplaces were sealed.

    At some stage the Co-op sealed off the door to the pharmacy, somewhat crudely, and rented out the "flat" until I purchased it in 1993.   I then had to separate the water supply, so that I could turn it off without breaking into the pharmacy!   And at last the electricity supply is now entirely separate. The pharmacy still has right of access to their lean-to through my garden, and the 3 premises jointly own the access road.

Since buying the property, the major changes I have made have been reopening the fireplace in the sitting room and making a window into a rear entrance door in the dining room. I am still learning more about the house's fascinating history by meeting previous residents.

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