Description

Substantial complex of agricultural buildings comprised of steading at E dated 1793; imposing mill buildings and further steading at W possibly late 18th century and incorporating threshing barn formerly dated 1811; farmhouse formed from service wing of demolished earlier 19th century farmhouse.

STEADING: single storey, quadrangular-plan. Buff and pink rubble sandstone with irregular ashlar dressings, corrugated asbestos and bitumen tile roof, repaired with various materials at N range.

W RANGE: asymmetrical. Central block, possibly incorporating earlier farmhouse; off-centre entrance door with tooled and margined quoins, ?17 G 93? on lintel, window at left with solid timber shutters at bottom and fixed 6-pane glazing at top, similar window at right but with 4 panes, multi-pane window at far right, door at lean-to bay at outer right.

S RANGE: vehicle entrance at centre with timber lintel, anchor plates flanking; 4-bay cart shed at left with 3 anchor plates at wallhead (1st floor demolished); door to former bothy at right, stable door at far right.

E RANGE: long low bay, re-used quoin at left dated 1716, brick reveals to door at centre, gable at right with large 2-leaf corrugated metal cart doors, gable of later rubble and brick shed advanced at far right with large opening.

N RANGE: shed as above advanced at left masking part of earlier lower blank range, built on falling ground.

INTERIOR: stone canopy chimney in former bothy at S range.

MILL BUILDINGS: 2-storey and basement wheelhouse, built on falling ground, irregular quadrangular-plan mill and steading. Coursed and random rubble, rough-hewn quoins and dressings, roofs of grey slate, bitumen tile, corrugated metal and asbestos, various rooflights. Windows and openings with dilapidated frames of various design, some boarded; flat-coped skews at E range.

E (THRESHING BARN) RANGE: projecting piended-roof bay at centre with door at right return (entering at 1st floor level), cart entrance at left return with altered arched lintel and blocked opening above, small opening at ground floor left; main block recessed at left with enlarged entrance opening with sliding door at right, arrow slit ventilators at ground and 1st floor left, return gable at far left with window at ground and 1st floor and block finial (formerly dated); main block recessed at right with later entrance opening breaking through eaves with 2 sliding doors and flat roof, return gable at far right with window at left and arrow slit ventilator at 1st floor centre, block finial.

W ELEVATION: mostly masked by N range at right; 3 windows at ground floor, 1 at 1st, small opening at ground floor left, possibly bee-bole recess or opening to hen-house.

N RANGE: off-centre cart entrance with irregular voussoirs probably widened from narrower entrance, window at far left, 2 windows at right, 4 regularly disposed openings at 1st floor; basement at right stepped out in 2 stages, lade entrance at ground level at far right.

W RANGE: entrance door and window to wheelhouse at stepped out basement at left, 2 windows at 1st floor above, 1 at far right.

S RANGE: paired bee-bole at left with single remaining security bar.

INTERIOR ELEVATIONS: altered and court covered with corrugated metal.

INTERIOR: altered, mill machinery and some floors removed, wheel house has barrel-vaulted ceiling.

FARMHOUSE: single and 2-storey, adjoining S range of mill buildings at E. Rubble sandstone, harled at S gable, grey slate and corrugated asbestos roof, rebuilt brick stacks. 4-pane sash and case windows, some margined; sawtooth skew gable with end stack at N.

E ELEVATION: single storey projection with window and flat roof at left, door and 2 windows with piend roof at right, window at right return, 2 windows at 1st floor of main building, single storey block recessed at right with door and bipartite window, large 2-leaf doors at far right in adjoining gable of S range of mill buildings.

W ELEVATION: modern porch masking entrance door at single storey block at left; main block at right has 4 windows at ground floor, 3 at 1st (bipartite at left), wallhead stack at right.

OUTHOUSE: at W of W range; single storey, rubble-built, mono-pitch roof with grey slates, door at S.

Statement of Interest

Murroes farm was formerly part of the Gagie estate and explicit references to the farm might be found in the extensive Guthrie family papers, only nominally examined for this survey. The lintel inscription ?17 G93? on the west range of the steading must refer to the Guthries of Gagie and is positive evidence of the agricultural improvements and prosperity referred to by Imlach in the OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT. There are remains of the mill dam to the north.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17770408

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)