Description

Earlier 19th century, with later additions and alterations and recent demolitions. Built as substantial quadrangular group of courtyards sited on falling ground, including cartshed and granary, implement shed, barn, and landing shed. Whinstone rubble and contrasting grey sand-stone ashlar dressings. Depressed cart arches with keystones and impost blocks.

S RANGE: 4-bay cartshed and granary with granary openings breaking eaves in segmentally arched, lead-coped dormerheads, and gabled hayloft door to left of centre. Blank wall-plane flanking to left and right; chamfered angle to outer right.

Taller, piended end elevation of W range on higher ground to outer left. Later piended roof range of byres advanced from courtyard elevation to left.

W RANGE: taller bays at centre with depressed-arch pend in central bay, surmounted on exterior elevation by gabled dormerhead with round-arched hayloft door. Machinery doors slapped in to left and in lower bays to right. Stables formerly housed in bays to right and doors and windows on exterior and door and ventilation slits on courtyard side. Later brick-margined windows to courtyard elevation and evidence of former gabled range dividing courts.

N RANGE: taller 2-storey bays at centre, flanked to left by single storey bays, and to right by lower 2-storey bays with granary. Slapping in E end and addition of implement shed projecting at centre to N.

E RANGE: largely demolished, but free-standing rectangular-plan, piended roof office/bothy remaining at centre; door to E elevation, window to S with 1 sash surviving (diamond-pane) glazing pattern.

Purple and grey slates. Ashlar coped skews to gable ends of taller bays.

CLOCKTOWER/DOVECOT: square-plan, squat 2-stage tower (lower stage housing dovecot, upper clocktower stage set-off), formerly set in dividing range, now free-standing at centre of remaining ranges. Whinstone rubble with contrasting grey ashlar sandstone dressings. Base course; consoled ashlar brackets to each corner above lower stage. Circular, hoodmoulded panel with clockface to each elevation below parapet (clock removed). Stone bracketted and crenellated parapet with pinnacled, finialled ashlar dies to angles. Grey slated pyramidal spire with weathervane.

S ELEVATION: small opening with cill course in lower stage, with bull's-eye above; flight-holes below rat-course at foot of upper stage. E AND W ELEVATIONS: evidence of former ranges adjoining to E and W, on lower stage.

N ELEVATION: doorway to clocktower, upper stage set below clockface; no evidence of forestair, presumably accessed by ladder.

INTERIOR: largely gutted, but some large nesting boxes apparent in lower stage.

Further flat-roofed range sited to N of steading, comprised of 8 segmental vaults, opening in dressed archways to S, dated 1838, abacking rising ground, probably designed as lambing shed.

Statement of Interest

The clocktower/dovecot makes diminutive reference to the form of early Scottish tolbooths, such as that at Tain, Ross-shire. The Cherrytrees estate (owned by the Boyd family in the 19th century) was evidently wealthy as the extent and grandeur of the steading illustrates. The house, walled garden, gate lodges and cottage near the steading are listed separately. The vaulted lambing shed (?) is a most unusual design, and further research into its purpose and origin is desirable.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17850625

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.

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