Threshing Mill, Scar Steading, Sanday, North Isles, Orkney Islands

Description

Late 18th to early 19th century with later alterations and additions. Extensive farm complex comprising 2-storey and dormered attic, 4-bay L-plan house, (later, single storey former schoolroom adjoined to SE) with lower, 2- and single-storey, crowstepped-gabled adjoining range projecting to NW, with terminating threshing mill, accompanying boiler house and chimney; lectern doocot disposed at right angles; further byre/store/cartshed ranges, forming farm courtyard with yard entrance to NE range; parallel ranges of single storey byres/sheds to centre of courtyard; large walled garden to NE of main house, (NW wall forming SE range of farm yard); single storey, complex-plan farm cottage to SE of main house, early 19th century core with later extensions. Further mill and cottages to NW; remains of Scar windmill to S (listed separately). House: cement-rendered and lined; roughly coursed and random rubble to remaining structures.

HOUSE: SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: part-glazed door with rectangular fanlight with border glazed stained glass at ground in bay to left of centre; window at 1st floor above. Window at ground and 1st floor in each bay remaining; 3 evenly disposed finialled dormer windows, breaking eaves above. Large window in each bay to 3-bay former schoolroom to outer right.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated. Single bay advanced gabled block to left with window, offset to right of centre at ground; gablehead stack above; window at ground and 1st floor in right return. piended-roofed block to rear of former schoolroom to outer left. Crowstepped, gabled block set back to right: central tall stair window; gablehead stack above; small window at ground to right; non-aligned window at ground and 1st floor in right return.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows; 8-pane timber sash and case windows to former schoolroom; various timber-framed windows to rear. Partially grey slate, partially traditional stone tiled roof; corrugated-iron roof to former schoolroom; stone ridges; stone skews; rubble, corniced gablehead stacks; some polygonal cans; both cast-iron and uPVC rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: timber skirting boards, dado and picture rails and architraves extant in most areas; some decorative cornices extant; timber panelled doors; rectangular fanlight with geometric astragals to hall doors at ground; demi-lune fanlight to hall door at 1st floor; engaged fluted columns supporting basket arch to entrance hall; central timber staircase with timber balusters and handrail; cast-iron fire surrounds extant in most rooms; Wm Wilson and Co cast-iron toilet extant at 1st floor; timber-lined former schoolroom with herring-bone arrangement to dado; timber fire surround to SE wall.

WALLED GARDEN: high, harl-pointed random rubble wall enclosing large rectangular-plan garden to NE of house.

SW RANGE, (projecting NW from house): SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: adjoining house from left: 2-storey, 3-bay (SMITHY) block with window at each floor in each bay; lower 2-storey block adjoining with window set to left at 1st floor; long, low, single storey block adjoining with various blocked openings; 1 1/2 storey block adjoining with central boarded door, gabled store entrance, braking eaves to left, small opening, set close under eaves to left. FORMER THRESHING MILL COMPLEX terminating range to outer left: 2-storey with lower central section; irregular openings and additions; circular-plan rubble base to remains of tall cylindrical brick stack adjoining gable to right hand block. DOOCOT: 1 1/2 storey lectern doocot, disposed at right angles to mill complex with doorway at ground to SE elevation; flight holes above; doorway, set high to SW elevation. Large lean-to projection to rear (NE) elevation.

Corrugated-iron roof to 3-bay block adjoining main house; traditional stone tiled roof to remaining range; grey slate and corrugated asbestos roof to mill complex; stone easing course to central block; traditional stone tiled roof to doocot; stone ridges; stone skews.

INTERIORS: trap-door and timber stair to basement of smithy block adjoining main house; brick open furnace with steel hood to SE wall, adjoining house; timber frame supporting very large hand operated leather and timber bellows. Stone nest holes lining Doocot. Remainder not fully seen, 1998.

NW RANGE (BYRES/STORES): comprising 2 adjoining single storey blocks; higher block adjoining SW range at right angels; lower block adjoining NE (BYRE) RANGE at right angles. NE RANGE: (FARMYARD ELEVATION): 2 blocks flanking entrance. Regular, 5-bay group to left: window in bays 1, 3 and 5; boarded door in bays remaining. Irregular, 8-bay group to right: taller 1 1/2 storey 4-bay group to left: boarded door at 1st floor offset to right of centre; segmental cart-arch to right; window at ground in bay to left; doorway at ground in bay to outer left. 4-bay group to right: blocked square-headed wide entrance in bay to centre; segmental cart arch (blocked) in bays flanking; boarded door in bay to outer right.

Corrugated uPVC and asbestos roofs to NW range; fish-scale asbestos tiled roof with stone tiled easing course to NE range adjoining. Corrugated steel roof to right hand section of NE cart shed range; grey slate roof to store block to left; stone ridges.

INTERIORS: not seen, 1998.

CENTRAL FARMYARD RANGES: single storey byres disposed NE/SW; random rubble, pitched-roofed northernmost range: symmetrical 5-bay. Doorway to taller central bay; 2 doorways, set wide, in each block flanking; traditional stone tiled roof; corrugated-iron to central section. Later, drystone roughly coursed rubble lean-to southernmost range: symmetrical 5-bay with boarded door in bays 2 and 4; blocked windows in remaining bays; corrugated-iron roof.

Statement of Interest

A large, self contained farm complex, important for its size and range of facilities. The long SW range includes a threshing mill and boiler house as well as a doocot, which provided an important source of winter meat. The 2-storey block which immediately adjoins the house was possibly a former smithy, the basement containing a very large furnace with hand-operated bellows, still in working order. The late 19th/early 20th century saw a schoolroom added to the south end of the house with a good boarded interior. The farm had been established by the 17th century and took over an entire township (Marwick); it was the seat of the Traills of Westove. The factor, James Scarth, occupied the house before it passed to George Horwood in the later 19th century.

External Links

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