91 And 93 Main Street

The building at 91 and 93 Main Street is a rare, largely unaltered example of a late 19th-century two-storey and attic shop and dwelling house in Callander. It retains its original shop window opening, which is unusual for commercial buildings in the area. Decorative sandstone features and shouldered window surrounds contribute positively to the streetscape.

The symmetrical principal (southwest) elevation features a central doorway at number 93, leading to a hallway containing two ground-floor rooms and a rear stair tower providing access to the first floor and attic. A matching doorpiece is incorporated into the shop front at number 91, which is slightly larger. The large shop window on the outer left still has its original shouldered timber window fitting.

The elevation is highlighted by a block course with brackets supporting a string and eaves course at both the ground and first floors. The rear (northeast) elevation is dominated by a square-plan stair tower with flanking wing walls.

The building was occupied as an upholsterer’s in the 19th and 20th centuries. A large outshot to the rear, shown on early Ordnance Survey maps, was likely a workroom and has since been removed. Evidence of its former presence, including horse hair, has been found in the garden on the site of the workroom.

The shop space was enlarged by the removal of the dividing northeast wall to create a large open-plan area leading to the rear. A mantelpiece with a cast-iron grate and cornice remains in the front room, and a doorway provides internal access to the adjacent hallway at number 93. The ground-floor rooms at number 93 both have cast-iron grates; the rear room has a large chamfered stone hearth, possibly indicating its former use as a kitchen.

The entrances have timber twin-leaf storm doors with bipartite fanlights. Number 91 has a twin-leaf timber inner door, and number 93 has a panelled timber and glass inner door. The principal elevation is constructed of rubble 'pudding stone' lined in part, with sandstone dressings, which are painted white at ground floor level. Timber sash and case windows with multiple panes are present, with shouldered details on the principal elevation. The roof is covered in grey slate. There are a pair of original, distinctive local-style canted timber dormer windows with curved roofs on both the principal and rear (northeast) elevations. A yellow brick stack with shaped cans is located on the southeast gable.