Best saved building

Published on Wednesday 29 August 2007 01:22

1 EASTHOUSE CROFT

Burra, Shetland, 2-5pm, 2 September

Runner up of the BBC's Restoration programme, this former "building at risk" secured funding in 2003 and is now fully restored for both locals and visitor to enjoy. Now the home of Burra History Group, the site contains exhibitions about local history and is a wonderful insight into the lives of crofters over several centuries.

2 STRATHLEVEN HOUSE

Vale of Leven Industrial Estate, Dumbarton, 11am-3pm, Sunday, 16 September

In terms of architecture, Strathleven House is a unique example of a Palladian country house and one of only three surviving in Scotland. Attributed to architect James Smith, the house was completed around 1700 and was occupied until the 1950s. The house was restored by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust.

3 BELLMONT HOUSE

Unst, Shetland, 11am and 4:30pm, Saturday 1 September, booking essential, 01595 744800

Reduced to a scale appropriate to Shetland, Belmont has all the design features expected of the finest houses of its period. This is a construction site and so visitors are asked to wear stout footwear.

4 THE HIPPODROME

Hope Street, Bo-ness, 11am-4pm, Sunday 23 September

The Hippodrome is Scotland's oldest surviving purpose-built cinema, designed by local architect Matthew Steele in 1911 after a commission from film-maker Louis Dickson, who wanted somewhere to show his films. The A-listed building is being restored and will reopen as a cinema in autumn 2008. Its participation in Doors Open Days presents a unique chance to see restoration in progress.

5 BARKLY HOUSE

Cromarty, Black Isle, 10am-4pm, 15 September

The late 18th-century merchant's house, Barkly House, lies within the conservation town of Cromarty. The B-listed house stood derelict since the interior and roof were destroyed by fire in the early 1980s. It is now an eco-house, with "breathing" walls, recycled materials and traditional harling.

• The Buildings at Risk Register: www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk