Property Move Uncovers History Find

Bell Ingram Press releases

Finding an old newspaper under the carpet is pretty routine for anyone moving into a new property, but land and estate agents Bell Ingram had more of a surprising discovery when they took over their new base in Oban.

The street-front building, located in Boswell House on Argyll Square, is on the site that was once known as The ‘Tolerable Inn’.

Upon returning from their tour of the Hebrides in the 1770’s, English novelist, Samuel Johnson and his companion and biographer, James Boswell made a stop in Oban.

In 1773, Oban was no more than a scattering of small houses making up a sleepy fishing village where Johnson and Boswell chose to rest their heads in The ‘Tolerable Inn’ for the evening.

Hugh Nicol of Bell Ingram’s Oban office said: “It’s always interesting for a buyer to find things like ancient newspapers in a new property, but it just goes to show that even the property experts can be surprised.

“All the staff are interested in being based in a building that has a quirky history attached – although there has already been the odd joke that The Tolerable Inn might be due for a revival from staff having to work too hard.”

Samuel Johnson’s writing has been widely acclaimed by many as being the most distinguished in English history as his works include ‘The Rambler’, ‘The Adventurer’ and ‘The Journal of the Tour of the Hebrides’.

Bell Ingram have moved into Argyll Square from their office of nearly a decade on Gibraltar Street as part of their drive to enhance their sales and letting service.

The new premises are more spacious with improved location, level access, a welcoming seating area and a private meeting room.  Importantly, it also offers a large and cutting edge window display to make the most of the firm’s properties and land for sale.

The nine-strong team, comprising Chartered Surveyors, Land and Estate Agents will all now work on the same floor improving communication and enhancing the client experience, something the old office’s structure did not easily allow.

Established 112 years ago, Bell Ingram has 130 professional staff across 11 UK offices, including chartered surveyors, estate and forestry managers, architects, building surveyors, Tourism and green energy specialists.