Latitude: 58.9844 / 58°59'4"N
Longitude: -2.9629 / 2°57'46"W
OS Eastings: 344753
OS Northings: 1011210
OS Grid: HY447112
Mapcode National: GBR M41Z.PFD
Mapcode Global: WH7C4.GFBS
Plus Code: 9CCVX2MP+QR
Entry Name: Ayre Hotel, Ayre Road, Kirkwall
Listing Name: Harbour Street, the Ayre Hotel
Listing Date: 8 December 1971
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 381605
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB36754
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Kirkwall, Ayre Road, Ayre Hotel
ID on this website: 200381605
Location: Kirkwall
County: Orkney Islands
Town: Kirkwall
Electoral Ward: Kirkwall West and Orphir
Traditional County: Orkney
Tagged with: Hotel
Circa 1791 with later alterations and additions. 2-storey and attics, 13-bay hotel comprising former pair of 3-bay crowstepped gabled houses to left, with (later) gabled dormers, breaking eaves, (2 dormers to right finialled), further box dormers to left block, and 2 flat-roofed single storey entrance porches; 2-storey 4-bay addition slightly recessed to right; flat-roofed single storey addition to outer right; modern 2-storey projection at right angles to rear, (S). Harled. Ashlar dressings to entrance porches.
N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: bays grouped, 3-3-3-3. 3-bay group to left of centre: window in entrance porch at ground in bay to centre; Doric pilasters flanking modern, part-glazed door with letterbox fanlight in left return; window in right return; window at 1st floor above. Window at each floor in bays flanking. 3-bay block to outer left: window in entrance porch at ground in bay to centre; part-glazed modern door with letterbox fanlight in left return; window in right return; window at each floor above; window at each floor with 2, evenly disposed box dormers above in each bay flanking. Recessed 4-bay block to right of centre: window at each floor in 2 bays to centre. Part-glazed modern door at ground in bay to outer right; windows at 1st floor above. 2-leaf boarded doors to round-arched doorway in single storey, rectangular-plan porch with cast-iron balcony to internal angle to outer left; window at 1st floor above to main block. Window in each bay to 3-bay block to outer right.
S (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated with additions spanning bays at ground, 4, evenly disposed gabletted attic window breaking eaves and 7-bay piended projection at right angles to outer left.
Predominantly 4-pane timber-framed windows with top-hung upper lights. Grey slate roof; stone ridge; stone skews; predominantly cast-iron rainwater goods.
INTERIOR: converted as hotel; not fully seen, 1998.
Originally 2 adjoining houses which have subsequently been converted and extended to a hotel. They are sited on reclaimed land at the inner end of the 'ayre', the natural spit which separates the 'Peedie Sea' from the Bay. The eastern house was the home of James Erskine, merchant, who built them both, while the western one was the last town house of the Stewarts of Brough, Westray and later of the Traills of Holland in Papa Westray.
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