Bothy, Ballachulish House, South Ballachulish

Ballachulish House is a substantial laird's house of mid to late 18th-century origin, built in two phases. The main block is a 2-storey, 5-bay, double-gabled rectangular-plan structure, with the east range possibly dating to 1764 and the west range to around 1799. A 2-storey, 4-bay rectangular-plan wing was added at right angles to the north in the early to earlier 19th century. A single-storey kitchen wing adjoins the main block to the south, and a 20th-century single-storey glazed extension extends to the rear. The principal structures are built of white harled rubble with stone cills to the west elevation of the main block.

The west (principal) elevation displays 5 bays with a central timber-panelled door beneath a plain fanlight, flanked by windows. Five first-floor windows are centred above the ground-floor openings, with a central cast-iron rooflight. The kitchen wing extends southward with a large timber-mullioned window.

The east elevation forms part of an L-plan courtyard arrangement. The main block has 5 bays, with a piended porch set off-centre to the left and a long single-pitch conservatory to the right. A large central pitched dormer window sits wholly within the roof above a central stair window, with slate cheeks. The north wing on this elevation displays 3 bays with a central timber-panelled door beneath an astragalled fanlight and flanking windows, plus 2 first-floor windows.

The north (garden) elevation of the main block has a ground-floor window to the left with a first-floor window above. The north wing shows 4 bays with 3 ground-floor windows and a door to the right return with raggles of a lean-to porch; 4 first-floor windows include a long stair window at the far right, with 3 Velux rooflights.

The interior features a central staircase with stone risers to the first flight. The double drawing room at the north end of the main block retains two early 19th-century marble fireplaces and plain cornices; most rooms have late 19th-century fire surrounds. Windows are predominantly plate glass in timber sash-and-case frames, though a number of 12-pane timber sash-and-case windows survive throughout. The pitched roofs are covered in grey slates with coped gablehead and ridge stacks topped by circular clay cans.

The bothy is a single-storey-and-attic, 3-bay, rectangular-plan structure of rendered construction. Its west elevation has a timber door to the left and a central window with an inscribed and dated lintel above reading '17 IS MW 64', with a carved heart shape separating the initials; a stable door sits to the right. The south gablehead contains a dovecot opening with an alighting ledge. The east elevation has 3 ground-floor windows and 3 Velux rooflights. The north elevation shows 1 ground-floor window to the left and 1 attic-floor window to the right. The pitched roof is grey slate with a coped and rendered gablehead stack to the south. The bothy is early to mid 19th century in date and was formerly attached to a demolished service wing.

A roughly rectangular-plan walled garden, formerly attached to the house to the north, survives with the southwest portion of wall removed. It is built of random smooth stone rubble with slate vertical coping and has a central door to the north wall. Isolated stone steps occupy the south side. A rubble column with slate table dial (sundial) stands at the south end; a probably 20th-century rubble-and-slate circular fountain basin sits at the north end.

Boundary walls of smooth rubble extend to the east, connecting to the walled garden line. Circular-plan gatepiers of smooth rubble, with conical smooth-rubble caps (recently repaired), stand at the west boundary at the A828 road, connected to an L-plan low boundary wall.

The marriage lintel incorporated into the bothy—inscribed with the initials of John Stewart, 5th of Ballachulish, and his wife Margaret, daughter of William Wilson of Murrayshall—was probably originally set within the east range of the main block. Ballachulish House was formerly the seat of the Stewarts of Ballachulish. The original house is said to have been built in 1640 and was reputed to be the location from which the decision on the date for the Massacre of Glencoe was made in 1692. It was subsequently burnt down by Hanoverian soldiers in 1746. The house now operates as Ballachulish House Hotel (from 2002). The former home farm, located to the south, has been significantly altered in the late 20th century. The fountain and sundial do not appear on Ordnance Survey maps of 1875 and 1900.