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Summary

Description

Mid 19th century with later alterations and additions. Single storey, 3-bay rectangular-plan symmetrical farmhouse with lower 2-bay wing to right (SE) and similar, single-bay wing to left (NW). Eaves cornice. Cement-rendered with concrete margins to openings. Earlier 19th century L-plan steading to rear (NE) with horse mill abutting external angle to N. Coursed rubble horse mill; rubble and harled L-plan steading. Free-standing, square-plan store to SE of steading. Harl-pointed rubble.

FARMHOUSE: SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: deep-set, part-glazed door with narrow flanking lights in bay to centre. Window in each bay flanking. Window to each bay in slightly recessed wing to right. Window to slightly recessed wing to left.

Predominantly replacement uPVC windows. Purple slate piended roof; purple slate roof to piended wings; stone ridge; tall, harled and cement-rendered, corniced wallhead stacks to W and E; predominantly cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1998.

STEADING AND HORSE MILL: L-PLAN COWSHED/STORE: steel sliding door to S gable of S (cowshed) arm of steading. Steel sliding door to slightly higher E gable of N (store) arm of steading; blank W gable. Purple slate roof; stone ridge; small rooflights to both pitches of cowshed. INTERIOR: central slurry channel. HORSE MILL: abutting external angle of cowshed/store; 2-leaf boarded doors to E; 3 evenly-disposed slit openings to N; 2 square-headed (blocked) doorways to W with narrow slit opening between. INTERIOR: radiating timber roof supports with massive central timber cross beam.

STORE: square-plan, piended-roofed store with lean-to addition to left. 3 evenly disposed square-headed openings to SW; square-headed opening to addition. Corrugated-iron roof; stone tiled roof to addition; cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Special Interest

The chief interest in this group lies in the surviving circular horse gang with its conical slate roof, whose fine internal timberwork supported the heavy threshing machinery. By the 1870s most farms on Orkney had either a water- or horse-driven threshing mill, the horse-driven variety of two-or four horse-power, although the 300-acre farm at Saverock on the West Mainland required six. This example would probably have required two horses to power it. More usually, mill-courses in the Northern Isles were uncovered, with pairs of horses harnessed to the outer ends of poles through which they transferred their energy by means of gearing, as they walked round, to the mill inside the adjacent barn. Roofed examples are rarer and provided some degree of shelter for the animals. What is now the farmhouse, sited to the SE of the steading buildings, is marked on the 1st edition OS map as Newhall.

References

Bibliography

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