Description
Torboll Farm is a traditional agricultural complex, with the main buildings dating primarily to the first half of the 19th century. There are also earlier structures remaining, dating from the 18th or possibly 17th centuries (see 2.2 Historical development).
The complex includes a two-storey, four-bay vernacular classical farmhouse on the eastern end of the site, while a smaller one and a half-storey, four-bay cottage is located on the western end, with a small ancillary building to the north. Around halfway between the two is a large single storey U-shaped steading, with a small single storey stable building to its east. To the south of the main farmhouse, on the lower river terrace, is a walled garden, with an icehouse adjoining the northeast corner, and a small shelter with a small, recessed alcove on the northwest corner. To the west of the walled garden are the ruins of a sawmill, with an adjacent mill lade running between the higher ground to the north, where the farm buildings are located, and the river to the south.
The buildings are almost entirely rubble built with pitched slate roofs, although a small timber lean-to extension has been added to the west end of the main farmhouse. The farm is located at the head of Loch Fleet, overlooking the confluence of the River Fleet and the Abhainn an t-Sratha Charnaig.
The farmhouse is L-shaped in plan, with a small entrance vestibule in the right angle, and with its main façade facing east towards Loch Fleet. It was comprehensively reconstructed 1833-1836 and evidence suggests it incorporated some original parts of the eastern block (which may include the gable ends). The north elevation has an entrance porch that leads into an integrated cold-store/dairy. Later 19th century alterations to the west part of the house include a lean-to and some changes to the south facing windows (as bipartites). More recent renovations have been undertaken on the house in the early 21st century, including the removal and replacement of some of the windows, walls and floors, particularly within the eastern half of the house. Despite this, a number of historic 19th century features remain in the interior, including the main turned timber staircase and several cast iron fireplaces with stone surrounds, along with some traditional timber-framed windows and timber-boarded doors. Externally, the building is harled and whitewashed, with cast-iron rainwater goods and clay chimney cans.
The steading is a large, U-shaped building, generally single storey with some attic spaces. A date stone marked 1836 is located in the southeast gable. There are multiple doorways and other openings located around the building, including at least seven cart entrances in the northern section, reflecting the scale of the Torboll Farm at the time. The eastern range of the steading is occupied by a byre and includes an historic threshing mill in the northwestern section of the building. Other historic features such as stalls and internal timber columns on padstones have been retained.
The stable, dating to the later 19th century or early 20th century (seen on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey – surveyed 1904, published 1906), is a small rectangular building of mortared rubble construction, subdivided into two rooms internally. The interior of the building still contains the stable stalls, along with features such as hopper windows, drainage channels and feeding troughs, and externally the cast iron rainwater goods and louvred vents on the roof peak remain in situ.
The walled garden is of at least 18th century origin, with a rectilinear garden depicted on multiple maps as far back as William Roy's Military Survey of Scotland (1747-55), although estate maps from the early 19th century also suggest that the walled garden had an additional irregularly shaped section to the east at that time. It lies to the south of the main house, with a stone staircase leading between the higher and lower ground. The south, east and west walls are of battered drystone rubble construction, while the north wall is a retaining wall built of mortared rubble. The north wall is also significantly higher, acting as a 'ha-ha' when viewed from the farmhouse. The small structure in the northwest corner was accessible only from within the garden, and the small, recessed alcove in the north wall suggests this was a shelter for the users of the walled garden.
The icehouse is adjacent to the northeast corner of the walled garden. It is built into the bank behind the north retaining wall of the walled garden and is thus also likely to date to the 18th century or earlier. It is a mortared rubble-built structure, with a barrel-vaulted roof.
The mill lade is recorded on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition (surveyed 1873-4, published 1879). It appears to start at a mill pond to the west of the cottage, running eastwards to the steading building on the higher ground. It then appears to turn southeast, seemingly passing underneath the steading before running down a stone-built channel on the steep slope to the former sawmill and beyond, before finally turning to the east once more and draining into the Abhainn an t-Sratha Charnaig.
Other buildings and structures include a cottage, which is T-shaped in plan, with four dormer windows in the roof. The precise date of the cottage is unclear, but on stylistic grounds it was likely also built in the 1830s. Although we did not see the the interior, the cottage exterior has been fully renovated, with modern doors and windows, and it is likely that the interior is similarly renovated.
The sawmill dates to the later 19th century or early 20th century, being constructed sometime between the Ordnance Survey 1st and 2nd Editions (surveyed 1904, published 1906) mapping of the area. The remains of the walls are of drystone rubble construction, and the layout indicates the building had at least two internal rooms.
To the north of the stable is a modern agricultural shed. The cottage, sawmill and other buildings and structures are not of special interest, and do not make a significant contribution to the overall interest of the site in their current form. They are not proposed for inclusion in the listing. (See Legal exclusions.)
Historical development
The main buildings at Torboll Farm appear to date mainly to the 1830s, with "1836” inscribed on a date stone on the steading buildings and with an 1833 sketch plan (held by Sutherland Estates) of proposed renovations to the previous farmhouse that closely resemble the building as it exists today. The buildings are the hub of a farm that was created in 1813, resulting from the depopulation of several fermtouns along Srath Carnaig and the adjoining Srath Tollaidh and the consolidation of these areas into a single large sheep farm, which has a direct historical association with the infamous Sutherland Clearances of the first quarter of the 19th century.
The newly extended farm was then leased to Captain Kenneth Mackay, whose family had previously owned the lands of Torboll before they were purchased by the Sutherland Estates in the late 18th century, and who had remained resident at Torboll in the interim.
Mackay's successor to the tenancy, Angus Leslie, was a former estate factor in Strathnaver, and it was during Leslie's tenure that the farm was renovated into the form that survives today. In both cases, the tenancies were partly a reward for their work on behalf of the Sutherland Estates, as both Mackay and Leslie were directly involved in conducting the evictions (see 3.1.2 Setting and 3.2.3 Association with people or events of national importance).
However, Torboll (also known as Meikle Torboll prior to this expansion) itself is much older than the 19th century, with documentary records of the farm going back to the 1600s. These include both Gordon and Blaeu's mapping of the area in the mid-17th century, Moll and Roy's maps in the 18th century and Thomson's maps of the early 19th century, along with the Ordnance Survey maps from the latter half of the 19th century onwards and a number of maps belonging to the Sutherland Estates.
Among the Sutherland Estate maps are two dating to 1829 that show a markedly different layout to the Torboll farm complex. The maps depict the main house having an H-shaped plan, with a U-shaped steading lying to the northeast of the house, while slightly to the west of the main house are two further small houses and an irregularly shaped walled garden lies to the south, although as noted above this seems to represent an additional garden area in addition to the earlier rectilinear section.
The Ordnance Survey Name Book for Sutherland (1871-75) describes Torboll as "...a large farm house with out standing offices Situated on the South side of "Strath Fleet" about one mile from the Mound Railway Station (west). It is two Storey high and the whole slated and in good repair.” The farm is shown as Torroboll on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1873-4, published 1879). The main house, cottage, steading, walled garden and mill lade are all depicted, although the steading is shown E-shaped in plan, suggesting a central wing that was later removed.
By the time of the 2nd Edition mapping (surveyed 1904, published 1906) both the sawmill and stable have been added to the complex. In addition, the courtyard of the steading is by then shown as being entirely roofed. The Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map of the area (published 1960) shows the same layout as the 2nd Edition, however it is not clear when the survey for this mapping was done. The subsequent 1:2500 mapping (surveyed 1966, published 1967) shows a number of new buildings had been added and the sawmill removed. This is the layout that appears to have survived into the 21st century and can be seen on relatively recent aerial photography of the farm, although some of the buildings have been removed in recent years.
Statement of Special Interest
Tuathanas Tòrabol / Torboll Farm, etc., meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- The farmhouse and other buildings are all of good quality design and are reflective of the increased status of the farm following its enlargement in the early 19th century, making Torboll a prominent example of a farm complex of this period.
- Torboll retains all of the key buildings created during the 1830s renovation of the farm, making it a major surviving example of a coherent group of Agricultural Improvement period farm buildings.
- Torboll retains visible remnants of the earlier farm located on the site, such as the walled garden and icehouse, and there is a strong likelihood of earlier fabric within the farmhouse itself.
- The buildings have been subject to incremental alterations and some later additions but much of their historic character and overall form is retained.
- The setting of the agricultural complex is little altered, and it retains its visual links to other contemporary buildings and structures in the surrounding area.
- It has an important link to the history of agriculture and land ownership in Scotland, particularly the tumultuous period of clearances and improvement that took place across the region in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The farm is inherently linked to the Sutherland Clearances, an event in history that has had a significant impact on Scotland's cultural heritage.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the 4-bay cottage to the west of the site, the ruins of the sawmill to the south, and the additional outbuildings to the northeast of the steading.
Architectural interest
Design
Torboll farm is a large 19th century agricultural complex, stone-built and designed in a plain vernacular classical style typical of the early 19th century. The farmhouse is a substantial example of the type, reflecting the increased status and monetary value of the farm following its enlargement in 1813. Although some windows have been replaced, it retains its external earlier 19th century design, including the prominent, symmetrical 4-bay main elevation facing east to Loch Fleet, along with some of its interior layout and features. A distinctive and unusual part of the plan includes a rendered rounded and low set corner porch accessing a notable curved, turned timber stair. Additional 19th century features include an integrated dairy.
The steading, built around the same time as the house, has a typical U-plan courtyard layout that is common on 19th century farm steadings. This compact plan of barn, byres, stables and storage sheds arranged around a court was designed for efficiency, and several of the rooms can still be clearly identified by their surviving interior features, such as the byre and the threshing mill. As with the farmhouse, the reasonably large size of the steading building, along with features such as a high number of cart entrances, are indicative of the increased scale and status of the farm following its enlargement. Along the wall forming the north side of the courtyard traces of some of the known alterations can be seen, including the rooflines of both the central arm of the steading seen on the OS 1st Edition mapping, and the roof covering the whole courtyard seen on the OS 2nd Edition. It is likely that further evidence of the alterations to the steading over its life remain within the structure, and these could provide valuable information on how the design was altered to suit changing agricultural practices over time.
The remaining buildings of the farm, including the stable, walled garden, icehouse and mill lade, although altered or partially removed, are of typical design and construction but are also reflective of the high status of Torboll farm following significant periods of its expansion over the course of its existence.
Setting
Torboll is a large agricultural complex to the west of the modern A9 about halfway between Dornoch and Golspie. The farm occupies a prominent position overlooking the confluence of the River Fleet and the Abhainn an t-Sratha Charnaig, and the farmhouse in particular is a dominant building in the landscape, clearly visible from Loch Fleet and its shorelines to the east. It is also intervisible with The Mound (listed building LB7022), a large causeway and bridge built across Loch Fleet in 1814-16 by Thomas Telford, while visible to the north across Strath Fleet is Morvich Lodge (listed building LB7021). Morvich was originally built in 1812 for Countess Sutherland and Marquis Stafford but by 1817 was leased to Patrick Sellar, possibly the most notorious individual of all those operating on behalf of the estate in the Sutherland Clearances and the only one who would stand trial for his involvement (See 3.2.3 Association with people or events of national importance).
There have been some changes to the setting of Torboll since its construction, most of which relate to infrastructure, such as the creation of the Far North railway along the north side of the River Fleet in the 1860s, the A9 and the A839 roads and the installation of an overhead power line past the north of the farm. The creation of The Mound also led to the flourishing of a new alder woodland on the previously tidal land below the farm, now protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Despite these changes, the overall character of the landscape setting remains much as it would have been at the time of construction of the farm, and the immediate setting includes the farm's arable fields as recorded on 1829 and 1832 estate maps of Torboll.
The building's location is directly connected with the wider comprehensive reorganisation of the estate holdings of the Sutherlands in the early 19th century and contributes to our understanding of the buildings' function and their historical context.
extensive survival of the grouping of agricultural buildings within the immediate setting and within the farm complex itself adds to the special interest overall of the buildings.
Historic interest
Age and rarity
The late-18th and early-19th century was a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland as small-scale subsistence farming was replaced by larger, commercial farming practices. This radical change in farming, known as the Improvement or Agricultural Improvement period, saw innovations in land drainage, use of lime as a fertiliser, introduction of new crops and crop rotation, improved understanding of animal husbandry and increased length of farm tenancies. However, these advances often came at the expense of the existing residents of the area, and in the case of Torboll the farm's expansion came as part of the infamous Sutherland Clearances.
As a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland, many farmhouses and associated agricultural buildings were constructed in this period. Improvement period farms often included the complete rebuilding of older steadings, which seems to have been the case with Torboll as historic maps indicate. These maps show a settlement has existed here since at least the mid-18th century and how an earlier steading was replaced and moved to a different location within the farm complex.
While farmhouses and steadings are not rare building types, those associated with the introduction of early and improving farming practice (from roughly the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries), which demonstrate quality of design and construction, and which remain to a greater degree in their original form may have interest in listing terms. Torboll farm is part of a prolific building type, however the buildings are good quality, representative examples for their date and their early-19th century plan form, historic character and setting remain largely intact. In addition, the survival of 18th century farm structures such as the walled garden and icehouse, for which survival is rarer within Scotland, further increases the special historic interest of the site.
Social historical interest
Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.
Agriculture was, and continues to be, an important part of the economy of Scotland, and traditional agricultural buildings are an important historical record of Scotland's heritage. This is particularly pronounced in the overwhelmingly rural Scottish Highlands, where agriculture has been one of the area's major industries and an integral part of daily life in the region from prehistory through to the modern day. The Scottish Highlands are also representative of the nature of land ownership in early modern Scotland, as large parts of the country came into the possession of a very small group of wealthy individuals. The survival of Torboll farm is thus an important link to the history of agriculture and land ownership in Scotland, particularly the tumultuous period of clearances and improvement that took place across the region in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Association with people or events of national importance
Torboll farm is directly connected with people and events which have had a significant impact on Scotland's cultural heritage. The farm is one of many agricultural holdings in northern Scotland that is directly linked to the Sutherland Clearances, the infamous period in the early 19th century where Lady Elizabeth Gower, heir to the Sutherland Estates, and her husband George Granville Leveson-Gower, the Marquis of Stafford (later the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland), sought to increase the revenues of their property in Sutherland. This took the form of forcibly and sometimes violently removing thousands of people from their land, many of whose families had lived in those places for generations, to make way for industrial scale sheep farming, which was seen as more profitable for the estate. The displaced people were to be sent to live on the coasts, where they were expected to farm small crofts a fraction of the size of their previous farms, and to take up work they were completely unfamiliar with such as fishing. In many cases, however, the displaced people chose to emigrate from Scotland entirely.
Torboll farm is a major example of how the Sutherland Clearances affected the landscape and its people in the early 19th century. The 1832 map of Torboll shows the extent of the farm, extending as far as Loch Buidhe, eight kilometres westward along Srath Carnaig, while also taking in Srath Tollaidh, a tributary of the Abhainn an t-Sratha Charnaig to the north, and extending three kilometres south to Loch Laoigh. Within the area are three other named settlements or farms, namely Little Torboll, Dalmain and Brae, all close to the Abhainn an t-Sratha Charnaig. These three places can still be seen on modern Ordnance Survey maps (although Dalmain has become Dalnamain) and remain the only settlements or houses in the valley.
However, Roy's Military Survey shows at least five further fermtouns along Srath Carnaig, and the ruins of some of these, such as at Achtaduaig, across the river from Dalmain, and Craighulisky (at the eastern end of Loch Buidhe) can still be seen. These settlements were cleared before 1813 and now form the extended Torboll farm. The newly extended farm was then leased to Captain Kenneth Mackay, whose family had previously owned the lands of Torboll before they were purchased by the Sutherland Estates in the late 18th century, and who had remained resident at Torboll in the interim.
Mackay's successor to the tenancy, Angus Leslie, was a former estate factor in Strathnaver, and it was during Leslie's tenure that the farm was renovated into the form that survives today. In both cases, the tenancies were partly a reward for their work on behalf of the Sutherland Estates, as both Mackay and Leslie were directly involved in conducting the evictions. Both are also identified as willing and violent participants by Donald MacLeod (himself evicted with his family from Rosal in Strathnaver) in his letters to the Edinburgh Evening Courant, later published as Gloomy Memories.
Torboll farm represents a tangible physical link to an infamous period of Sutherland's and Scotland's history, the Sutherland Clearances, a period that had a substantial impact on the landscape within which it lies and to the modern Scottish international diaspora.