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Avoch » Avoch Places » Avoch Residential

Braehead and High Street

Most of the housing in Avoch is on the two layers seen here. The lower houses are directly opposite the harbour and the upper ones lie immediately in front of the old railway line (now a footpath to Fortrose).

Dock

Dock is the area between the 'Streeties' and Henrietta Bridge. Its cottages are set at varying angles and cause confusion to the visitor but locals say that it was far more congested in previous times.

George Street

There are six roads running between the High Street and the sea front. They are called locally 'The Streeties' and are named after some of the Mackenzie family - Alexander, John, James, Margaret and George.

Gowans Place

Built in the 1990s the attractive houses in the bottom left hand corner of this picture provide sheltered accommodation in a very pleasant cul-de-sac at the edge of 'The Parkie'.

Henrietta Street

Built well over 200 years ago these cottages originally housed fishing families. With only two rooms downstairs and the same upstairs it is difficult to believe that they often housed two families. It is believed that once the upstairs rooms were lofts for housing sails making even less room for habitation. There was a scheme to pull them down to build more modern houses behind them but fortunately the outbreak of war prevented this and now they are listed buildings.

More Killen housing.

There were originally four estate houses in these two residences. The grandson of a Rosehaugh gardener lived (lives?) in one of them.

Killen Smiddy

This is one of three smiths workshops which can be remembered although none now exist.

Killen

Originally an estate cottage, this attractive dwelling is on the main road through Killen.

Long Road

Running alongside the burn this road connects Toll Road and Henrietta Street.

Maji Cottage

Although known as an old cottage, it was not realised until planning permission was sought for alterations in the 1990s that it is one of the oldest domestic buildings in the North of Scotland. It is situated in Dock - an area of many old cottages.

Ormonde Terrace

Facing the sea and continuing west from Henrietta Street is Ormonde Terrace.

Roadman's Cottage

This cottage lies on the road through Killen. Locals remember him with a bicycle and barrow and recall him cutting the grass with a scythe.

Tower House

Although now a private residence it is obvious that this was originally a church. After the Disruption of 1843 the Avoch Church of Scotland minister stayed with the established church and when a Free Church minister was settled in the village permission for a building was refused by James Mackenzie of Scatwell - the then owner of Rosehaugh. John Matheson of Bennetsfield, however, donated them a site and a church was built. In 1864 James Fletcher bought Rosehaugh and offered this site on condition that he chose the architect. His choice was Alexander Ross who also designed the cathedral in Inverness and the premises were opened in 1873. As the congregation diminished the building eventually ceased to be used for worship and it became a village hall. When the present Community Hall was built in about 1980 and the premises lay empty until 1986 when they were converted to dwelling and office accommodation.