Sir – I note with considerable displeasure the comments of Alan McIvor in relation to 30 Princes Street, Thurso, in the Groat dated March 9.

As a representative of our heritage, Mr McIvor has put forward an “och well” attitude to the preservation of our history. This would-be historian should be ashamed of his lack of drive to save important buildings.

It is not for the first time the guise of Thurso Heritage Society has resigned the preservation of a structure to the bin. What efforts were made by the group in the 1970s to save the brewery building? Back then, when the brewery was still recoverable, the previous chair of THS had also taken the same stance.

The house, as a category B-listed structure, was one of the first buildings in Sir John’s town, older than St Peter’s Church standing opposite. It would have originally been addressed as 1 Sutherland Street for the first 80 years or so. The Cairnie family occupied the house before my great grandfather, Major Manson, although I’m not sure if the Cairnies were the first occupants. Mr Cairnie was a chemist and had his shop where Williamson’s is today.

I remember the house from when I was very young when it was occupied by Donald Manson, brother of my grandad, Patty Manson, and other members of my family know the house better even than I. Donald showed me the features of the house, things like the servants’ bells, dumbwaiter and cellar workshops filled with old radios, thermal valves and even an old TV from the 1940s. The woodworking, stair banisters and plaster cornices all in salvageable condition.

While almost all of the contents of the house have gone forever there is still the house standing with much of its original details inside and out. It does not go without saying the house has a lot of deterioration within but restoration is about saving what can be and replacing what can’t be. With a B listing it is only the exterior that is deemed important although there is some regard to preserving as much of the whole structure as is possible.

In a full restoration, plaster work, stair railings, glass, doors and any good woodwork would be extracted from the building for preservation, the remainder would be gutted and attention would be given to the masonry.

In this case the most immediate work would be on the gable end to Sir John’s Square which needs to be rebuilt. This is neither a big nor impossible task. A complete rebuild of a gable end and restoration was carried out on a house in Campbell Street a few years ago with fine results.

The walls of 30 Princes Street, with exception of the gable, are as straight now as they were in the 1920s. You’d be amazed at how much will stand up even in a very poor state of repair and these old houses can be saved from even worse condition than number 30.

A very good example is Sinclair Castle which is a very substantial structure yet it is being successfully pulled back from the brink of total destruction. At what point is a building beyond retrieval?

I was looking at footage of abandoned buildings in Detroit and viewers’ comments were most critical of the American approach to its heritage which is to constantly demolish and build all modern, thus removing what little history modern America has.

In real terms the most likely “preservation” of the house would probably be only the exterior appearance by retention of the walls with a whole new modern interior which might include some original features.

It is quite saddening Mr McIvor is readily able to throw his hands in the air and declare there is no other option but to demolish it.

Thurso and Wick have lost many characteristic buildings in the 1970s in the name of “improvement” where frontages could have been preserved with new builds put in behind the faades as was done with the turnpike house in Shore Street and Gunn’s shop in the High Street.

Not everything can or should be preserved but where it is possible every effort should be made to maintain and 30 Princes Street is worth the effort.

If 30 Princes Street is “beyond preservation” then I’m going to call in the bulldozers to Old St Peter’s kirk because it is so far gone it should have been erased with the rest of Kirk View back in the ’70s.

Darren Manson,

Thurso.