History of Nanny's

The original little shop on this site was run by Nanny Grant since 1950 and before that by her father, Sandy Grant, who built it in 1918. Since he in turn had been carrying on a family tradition going back deep into the 19th century, it seemed like the end of an era when Nanny died aged 73.

The Grants had been a prominent Shieldaig family for more than two hundred years.  But Nanny never married and was the last of her line.  The day she 

turned the key in the lock for the last time, just a few months before her death in 2007, was a nostalgic occasion for villagers who assumed that the charming corrugated iron building would become yet another holiday home.

I remember coming to Nanny’s to collect my Granny’s ‘messages’ (shopping) when I was a little girl. Nanny always had time to stop and chat, it was a meeting place as well as a shop.

I was lucky to be given the opportunity to run a small tea room and gift shop in the original building from 2008 to 2013.  Sadly, the little tin shed did not meet with demand, or with modern day regulations, so in 2013, almost one hundred years after it was built, the original shop was demolished in order to make way for the new building.  

After a complete rebuild, Nanny’s reopened for business in June 2014.  Things have changed, the unique charm and character of the old building remains only in the memory of those fortunate enough to have experienced the wee tin shed, but Nanny’s does continue the tradition of providing locals and visitors with a place to meet and chat.

I hope you enjoy your time at Nanny’s, and if we can help in any way to make your visit more enjoyable, please just ask.