AWalls & gates · listed 1971Belford Road, Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary and the Immaculate Conception and Enclosing Walls with Gate Piers.Photo: Lucas Kendall · CC BY-SA 4.0
Belford Road, Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary and the Immaculate Conception and Enclosing Walls with Gate Piers. · Photo: Lucas Kendall · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
History of Fort William · Historic Environment Scotland
22 listed buildings, 2 of them in the top category
Historic Environment Scotland counts them inside Fort William’s locality, 38 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 2 scheduled monuments. We have photos of 11 of its listed buildings and 4 old views of the town.
Listed buildings
22
38 per 10,000 residents
Category A
2
national importance
Category B
15
regional importance
Scheduled monuments
2
nationally important sites
In pictures
Fort William in 17 photos and old views
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Inverlochy CastleScheduled monument
Fort William, fortScheduled monument
Nevis Bridge (New) over River NevisCategory B listed
Union Road, The Highland HotelCategory B listed
4, 6, 8 Cameron Square, West Highland MuseumCategory B listed+12See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Fort William from 1890 to 1903
4 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
c. 1890
c. 1890
c. 1890
1903Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Fort William’s history is
Every Category A and B building, monument and historic park.
Category ACategory BScheduled monument
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
22 listed buildings by grade
2 Category A15 Category B5 Category C
Historic Environment Scotland lists buildings in three categories: Category A for buildings of national or international importance (about 7.5% of listed buildings), Category B for buildings of regional importance (about 50%), and Category C for buildings of local importance (about 43%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on Historic Environment Scotland’s designations whose point lies inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.
Category A
The 2 Category A listed buildings in Fort William
Buildings of national or international importance, about 7.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
AWalls & gates · listed 1971High Street, St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Burial Ground, Lych Gate (To High Street) and Entrance to Bank StreetPhoto: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
Category B
The 15 Category B listed buildings in Fort William
Buildings of regional importance. 9 are photographed.
BWalls & gates · listed 1971Nevis Bridge (New) over River NevisPhoto: AllyD · CC BY-SA 4.0
BInns & shops · listed 1985Union Road, The Highland HotelPhoto: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHouse · listed 19714, 6, 8 Cameron Square, West Highland MuseumPhoto: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
BPublic · listed 1996Achintore Road, Fort William Primary SchoolPhoto: Craig Wallace · CC BY-SA 2.0
BMemorials · listed 1971Fassifern Road, Cameron Obelisk.Photo: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
BPublic · listed 1985Glenlochy Distillery (Fort William), Reception Office, Kiln and Adjoining Bonded WarehousePhoto: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
BPublic · listed 1971High Street, Free Church of Scotland and Former SchoolPhoto: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
BChurch · listed 1980The Parade, Duncansburgh Parish Church of ScotlandPhoto: Elizabeth B. Thomsen · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHouse · listed 198538 High StreetPhoto: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0
House · listed 1985Achintore Road, Glentower, (Former Ben Nevis Low Level Observatory).
Walls & gates · listed 1971Fassifern Road, St Andrew's East and West (Former Episcopal Rectory and School), Garden Walls and Gate Piers
Show the other 3
Walls & gates · listed 1971Nevis Bridge (Old) over River Nevis
Memorials · listed 1971The Craigs Burial Ground, Ewen Maclachlan Obelisk and Gateway
House · listed 1971The Parade the Governor's House
What’s protected
The largest group of Fort William’s listed buildings is homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas7
Walls, gates & bridges6
Public & civic buildings3
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
Churches, chapels & priories2
Inns, shops & warehouses1
7 entries (32%) are houses, terraces and villas. 2 are churches, chapels and priories.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Category C
5 Category C listed buildings
This category covers buildings of local importance. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 5 Category C listed buildings, A to Z
Fassifern Road, Macintosh Memorial Church of Scotland Former Free ChurchFort William Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, including boundary wall, railings and gatepiers, High Street, Fort WilliamThe Parade Donald Cameron of Locheil Statue1-12 Inclusive Nos Seaview Terrace and Laundry Building4, 6, 8 High Street, Royal Bank of Scotland, Retaining Wall and Gate Piers
How the list grew
More than half of Fort William’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1971
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1971 · 121985 · 5
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 12 entries were listed in 1971, 2 of the 2 Category A buildings among them. Only 2 have been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
2 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from Historic Environment Scotland.
Fort William, fortSecular: fort (non-prehistoric)
Inverlochy CastleSecular: castle
2 Inventory battlefields
Born here
5 notable people born in Fort William before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
John Augustus Wood
Hugh Stewart Cochrane
Allan MacDonald
Andrew Thomas McDonald
Elizabeth Kelso
1800182518501875190019251950
Allan MacDonald1859–1905 · Scottish Roman Catholic priest, poet, folklore collector, and activist
Andrew Thomas McDonald1871–1950 · Catholic archbishop
Hugh Stewart Cochrane1829–1884 · British military officer (1829–1884); recipient of the Victoria Cross
EK
Elizabeth Kelso1889–1967 · Journalist, editor, community leader
JW
John Augustus Wood1818–1878 · Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1818-1878)
Everyone born in Fort William → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Fort William has the 44th most Category A buildings of 238 towns its size
Scottish towns of 2,000–14,000 people, by Category A listed buildings.
Fort William2
#94 of 238for listed buildings per resident (38 per 10,000). Kirkcudbright, Banff and Anstruther lead.
43 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Fort William
| Town | People | Listed | Category A | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort William | 5,766 | 22 | 2 | — |
| Caol | 3,200 | 2 | 0 | — |
In brief
Fort William in brief
Fort William has 22 listed buildings, 2 of them in the top category, including Belford Road, Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary and the Immaculate Conception and Enclosing Walls with Gate Piers.. Only 43 of the 238 towns nearest its size have more Category A buildings. Of the 5 people born here before 1900, the best known include Allan MacDonald (1859), Andrew Thomas McDonald (1871) and Hugh Stewart Cochrane (1829). The big year was 1971, when 12 of the 22 went on the list. The rest is about typical: it also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Questions about Fort William’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Fort William?
Historic Environment Scotland lists 22 buildings inside Fort William’s locality: 2 Category A, 15 Category B and 5 Category C.
What are the Category A listed buildings in Fort William?
2, including Belford Road, Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary and the Immaculate Conception and Enclosing Walls with Gate Piers. and High Street, St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Burial Ground, Lych Gate (To High Street) and Entrance to Bank Street.
Are there scheduled monuments in Fort William?
Yes, 2 scheduled monuments, including Fort William, fort and Inverlochy Castle.
When were Fort William’s buildings listed?
The first in 1971; the most, 12, in 1971.
Are there old photos of Fort William?
Yes: 4 public-domain photos and postcards from 1890 to 1903, all on this page.
Who was born in Fort William?
Among people born before 1900: Allan MacDonald (1859), Andrew Thomas McDonald (1871), Hugh Stewart Cochrane (1829), Elizabeth Kelso (1889) and John Augustus Wood (1818).
Fort William has no History Grade.
Listed buildings, scheduled monuments, gardens and designed landscapes, battlefields, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites: Historic Environment Scotland, Open Government Licence v3.0. Check an entry on Historic Environment Scotland’s portal before relying on it.
Sources: Historic Environment Scotland designations (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, gardens and designed landscapes, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.