05/08/2026
At Fanagmore in Sutherland, a former school and schoolhouse stood in a remarkable setting at the end of a winding road, overlooking a sea loch. Time, neglect and a succession of unsympathetic additions had left both buildings in a dilapidated condition, yet their inherent character and extraordinary location remained undiminished.
Sketched in a roadside lay-by on the journey home from the first site visit, the architectural response arrived almost immediately
The proposal links the two existing buildings with a new parallel pitched-roof structure containing a glazed entrance, utility, study and open-plan living space. A carefully framed axial view extends from the former classroom, now a kitchen and dining room, through the new extension to the loch beyond. The restored schoolhouse accommodates three bedrooms and two shower rooms, while the new addition sits quietly between and behind the original buildings, almost as though it has always occupied their shadow.
The result is an economical and understated solution that celebrates the existing architecture, carefully restoring its character while allowing it to begin a new chapter as a family home.
Completed in 2019, the project was revisited this summer by photographer Richard Gaston, whose new photographs capture the house as it has settled naturally into its landscape, framed by a garden that has been thoughtfully cultivated and lovingly maintained by its owners.
