1-5 (?), Charles Street, Oban

5 X 9-bay, 2-storey range of symmetrical 3-bay houses in L-plan formation to W and S respectively. Random rubble walls with render except for E gable of S range. Stone stairs with solid stone balustrades to 1st floor of E house of S range, and in re-entrant angle of ranges. S RANGE, S ELEVATION: 9-bay elevation of 3, 3-bay houses. Entrance doors at ground floor, bays 2, 5. Entrance doors to E house at ground floor beneath platt of external stair to additional entrance door at 1st floor. N (REAR) ELEVATION: 5 bays, shallow projecting addition at bay 3 with horizontal window below eaves only, entrance door at 1st floor to side. Entrance door to S W house at bay 1st floor, bay 5. W RANGE, W ELEVATION: 5-bay elevation abutting annexe of Argyll Hotel to N, bays 4 and 5 being end gable of house to SW corner. Entrance door to N house at 2nd bay, enlarged windows at bay 4. E (REAR) ELEVATION: door to centre of N house at ground floor, low rectangular recess in projecting addition to right. 4-pane timber sash and case windows at ground floor, bays 1 and 3 of W range, E elevation. Plate glass windows to E house, vertically boarded timber door at 1st floor entrance. Some timber lintels surviving. Modern 6-pane timber windows with hoppers elsewhere. Grey slate roof except for modern felt tiles to E house, cast iron gutters and downpipes. Blocked and rendered apex stacks to E house, with thackstanes.

This complex of houses is now completely surrounded and dwarfed by later tenements to the George Street, Stafford Street, Corran Esplanade, with the Regent Hotel to the North and accessible only by a vennel at the north east end corner of the block and a pend beneath the Argyll Hotel. The Ordnance survey map of 1870 shows the south range exposed to the harbour before the building of the tenement on Stafford Street. The south facade of the south range formed the frontage to a recess to the north front of the former George Square, with the Oban Inn to the west. These buildings, therefore, are an important part of the original planned town. (Historic Scotland)

September 2009: External inspection finds the buildings to be in very poor condition with no evidence of remedial action being taken. Applications to demolish 1-4 Charles Street and erect 4 cottages and a storage building were refused Jan 2006 ref: 05/02293/LIB & 05/02292/DET and an application to demolish 5 Charles Street and erect two 1 bedroom flats was also refused Jan 2006 ref: 05/02314/DET & 05/02313/LIB

24 June 2012: External inspection finds no significant change from the previous site visit. All the buildings on the site remain in very poor condition within a cleared site, surrounded by hoardings. The buildings are boarded up with no maintenance being carried out. There are holes in the roof, chimneys collapsed and general dereliction. Most of the roof however survives.

28 January 2015: Listed Building Consent for the replacement of the slated roof with metal corrugated roofing is being sought ref: 14/00043/LIB.

4 March 2015: Listed Building Consent for repairs to wallhead, new roof timbers/ sarking/slating, new rainwater conductors and general maintenance is being sought ref: 15/00316/LIB.

30 November 2017: A member of the public advises althought the buildings remain disused various repair works have been undertaken.

25 June 2019: External inspection finds repair works to the roof and masonry evident. The slate roof has been replaced by a zinc one and new rainwater goods have been installed. The north elevation has been consolidated and rendered. Windows remain boarded or covered with plastic sheeting and timber. Front elevation has been painted but vegetation growths are visible. Grounds are overgrown and secured by heres fencing. Rear elevation was not seen. Condition Poor. Risk Moderate. The property remains At Risk.