Achamore House

A white-harled Scots Baronial mansion amongst wooded policies towards the southern end of the island of Gigha in Argyll and Bute, Achamore House lies a half-mile (1 km) southwest of the settlement of Ardminish. The house was built in 1882-84 by Captain James Scarlett, the laird of the island, to designs by John Honeyman (1831 - 1914) around an 18th C. core. It had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1896, by the same architect, but quite possibly with the assistance of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 - 1928). The new house was a storey less than that of 1884, but remains a sizeable rambling mansion, with a restrained classical portico and an ogee-shaped belfry behind. B-listed since 1971, the house was acquired by the community as part of their buy-out in 2002. However, it was subsequently sold to pay back part of the loan taken out to buy the island and is again privately owned, providing visitor accommodation.

Lt-Col Sir James Horlick (1886 - 1973), who was Laird of Gigha from 1944, created at Achamore one of the finest gardens on the west coast. Now open to the public, this garden is particularly noted for its many species of rhododendron and azalea.


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