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Summary

Description

Mid-19th century with later alterations and additions. Single storey, roughly rectangular-plan, traditional Orkney longhouse to west, with parallel barn and byre building to east, separated by narrow closs, running north-south down gentle slope. Single storey, three-bay, rectangular-plan bothy sited to north of main group. Later single storey, three-bay rectangular-plan symmetrical stable to west of main group. All buildings built in random rubble. Later cottage to south

Former Dwellinghouse/Longhouse Range (HY 50745 10659): east (Closs) elevation with entrance to left of centre with deep-set boarded door and stone lintel, breaking eaves. The end walls are gabled, the north gable has a former doorway (now blocked) offset to left. Interior (seen 1998) used as store; exposed timber rafters and tie beams; flagstone floor.

Barn/Byre Range (HY 50750 10662): long barn range to south and smaller byre adjoining to north. West (Closs) elevation with centred, deep-set boarded door to barn; boarded door to left. Gabled end walls, south gable has two leaf boarded doors. Turf and straw-covered byre roof; stone easing course; straw covered with modern netting, secured by individual anchor stones. Flagstone barn roof with cement infill; stone ridge. Interior (seen 1998) used as store, exposed rafters and tie beams; flagstone floor.

Bothy (HY 50729 10670): south (entrance) elevation with boarded door at centre, flanked by single windows, that to right is boarded and that to left is blocked. North (rear) elevation with window (boarded) offset to left of centre. Gabled end walls with chimneystacks. West gable has a window offset to right. Turf and straw-covered roof; stone easing course; straw covered by modern netting secured by individual anchor stones. Interior not seen in 1998.

Stable: three-bay, rectangular-plan stable. South (principal) elevation with deep-set boarded door at centre, flanked by windows. Lean-to addition to rear of stable, with boarded sliding door in east elevation. Fixed timber-framed windows with boarded lower sashes; stone lintels. Graded stone slate roof; stone ridge; block finials to gableheads. Interior not seen in 1998.

Statement of Special Interest

A fine and well-preserved example of an Orkney farm of typical layout, with the dwelling house and the byre/barn ranges lying in parallel lines. As Paul Newman notes in his article on pre-improvement agricultural buildings: 'Generally, the long axis of any group of buildings lies up and down the slope', as is the case here. He adds that they too are 'generally separated by a narrow closs'.

The roofs are traditional, almost to the letter of Newman's theory; 'It seems probable that most of the roofs would have been thatched ....Flagstones would have been used as wall plates and there would probably have been a row of flagstones resting on edge on the wall plates if the roofs had been needled with simmens'. Details are also given as to the composition of the simmons and their arrangement over the roof frame. In the early part of the 20th century, various kinds of netting tended to replace the straw simmens. Agriculture shifted emphasis from grain growing to cattle rearing, so there became less straw available for their production. Top simmens had to be renewed every year and steadily they were replaced by netting, as is the case at Scarpigar.

The previous listed building record (written in 1999) describes the former longhouse range as having a 'fine turf and straw roof with flagstone easing course; turf covered with modern netting, secured by individual anchor stones'. The Buildings at Risk Register visited the building in 2009 and noted that the roof had been removed.

It is among a relatively small number of traditional buildings with a surviving thatched roof found across Scotland. A Survey of Thatched Buildings in Scotland, published in 2016 by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), found there were only around 200 buildings of this type remaining, most of which are found in small rural communities. Thatched buildings are often traditionally built, showing distinctive local and regional building methods and materials. Those that survive are important in helping us understand these traditional skills and an earlier way of life.

Listed building record revised in 2019 as part of the Thatched Buildings Listing Review 2017-19.

References

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