Achamore House

John Honeyman of Glasgow archictectural practice, Honeyman Keppie Architects, is known to have designed the current mansion house built in 1884. At that time Honeyman Keppie Architects employed many talented achitects and artists including Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928). Achamore House displays some minor examples of architectural detailing consistant with Mackintosh, in particular the carved oak panals to the internal stairwell.

When designing the new house for the then owner, Captain William Scarlett, Honeyman retained and remodelled some of the earlier mansion house, notably the window bays to the principal elevation. Internally, a change in floor levels, together with internal walls commensurate in thickness with external structure walls, signify retension of the earlier house. Externally, the stone lintels, window jambs and stone astragals to the south bay window are consistant in detailing with an earlier architectural style, and are not repeated elsewhere.

The remodelled house Category B Listed, features an asymmetrical principal west facade. The external walls are white rendered and adorned the gables with red sandstone crow steps, alluding to an earlier Scots baronial architectural style. Achamore House bears a close resemblance with another Honeyman mansion house namely, Dunloe House in Wemyss Bay dated 1890.

In 1896, Achamore House became ablaze and once more John Honeyman was called upon to rebuild the house as two-storey mansion house completed in 1900.

The 2002 Isle of Gigha Community-Buyout resulted in some of the islands major assets having to be sold to pay for the buyout, and Achamore House was sold to  Mr. D. Dennis in December 2003 and since 2004 runs the house as a bed and breakfast. Achamore Gardens are community-owned and are completely independant from Achamore House which is now a private concern.

(Updated by Micky Little May 2011)