1 Braebuster Cottages, Braebuster, East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray, Orkney Islands

Description

FARMHOUSE: dated 1888 with later alterations and additions. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay L-plan asymmetrical, crowstep-gabled farmhouse with canted bays and gabled principal bays. Stugged and snecked sandstone ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. Base course; blocking course over canted bays. Chamfered reveals to openings; cornice to ground floor windows; long and short margins to openings; hood-mould over door and attic window.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: date panel over segmental-arched doorpiece at ground in bay to centre; modern timber-panelled door with segmental-arched fanlight; window at 1st floor above. 3-light canted bay at ground in bay to left; bipartite window with trapezium pediment above at 1st floor. Full-height 3-light canted bay to left of centre; square-panel, breaking blocking course above; round-arched window to thistle-finialled gablehead above.

E (REAR) ELEVATION: lower 2-storey addition to right with further lean-to addition. Shallow, rectangular-plan porch at ground in bay to centre; modern timber door with window to each side flanking; segmental-arched stair window above. 3-light canted, piended-roofed dormer window to left of centre. Blank wall to lean to at ground in advanced bay to right; blank gabled wall to addition above; gablehead stack; window to main house gable; gablehead stack above.

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: 3-bays, grouped 1-2. Window set to right at each floor in gabled main bay to left; gablehead stack above. Centred modern timber door, with window in each bay flanking, in recessed addition to right; window in each bay at 1st floor. Boarded door to lean-to to outer right.

N (SIDE) ELEVATION: irregular, 2-bay elevation. Window set to left at each floor in main gable to right. Window at each floor with window flanking at ground in lower bay to left. Blank wall to lean-to addition to outer left.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Purple slate roof; stone ridge; ashlar, corniced gablehead stacks; corniced octagonal cans; cavetto-moulded skewputts; cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1998.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: tall square-plan sandstone ashlar gatepiers sited to N of house; cornice; stepped caps; ball finials. Squared rubble boundary wall with rubble cope enclosing roughly rectangular-plan garden surrounding house.

STEADING: C-plan steading, open to S, comprising: 2-storey accommodation block to SW, continuing as 2-storey grain store over cart shed to W; modern single storey cattle shed ranges to N and E (original cattleshed ranges flanking external elevations); single storey dairy range to SE. Farmyard entrance between accommodation block and dairy. Squared rubble.

S (ACCOMMODATION/STORE) RANGE: S (EXTERNAL) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical 4-bay elevation. Window at each floor in 2 bays to centre and to outer right. Enlarged window at ground in bay to outer left; boarded door with window flanking to right at 1st floor above. N (FARMYARD) ELEVATION: irregular 5-bay elevation. Window at ground in bay to centre. Boarded door at ground in bay to left of centre; window t 1st floor above. Window at each floor in bay to outer left. Doorway at ground in bay to right. Large sliding door at ground in bay to outer right.

W (GRAINSTORE/CARTSHED) RANGE: W (EXTERNAL) ELEVATION: regularly fenestrated. Window in each bay at 1st floor.

E (FARMYARD) ELEVATION: 5-bay elevation. Window (reduced) at ground in bay to centre; window at 1st floor above. Window (formerly door) with window flanking to each side at ground in bay to left; window at 1st floor above. Large sliding door at ground in bay to outer left; window at 1st floor above. 3 segmental cart arches (blocked) at ground in bays to right; window at 1st floor in bay to right. Window at 1st floor in bay to outer right.

N AND E (CATTLE SHED) RANGES: rectangular-plan modern sheds.

SE (DAIRY) RANGE: S (EXTERNAL) ELEVATION: single storey, irregular, 3-bay elevation. 2 boarded doors to lean-to addition in bay to left of centre. Sliding door in bay to outer left. Window with boarded door above in flat-roofed loft addition to outer right.

12-pane fixed and timber sash and case windows to accommodation block; replacement fixed timber-framed windows at ground to cart shed/grain store; small-pane upper sashes with louvered lower sashes at 1st floor; rooflights to S pitch of dairy. Grey slate piended roof; stone ridge; corrugated-iron roofs to modern cattlesheds; tall squared rubble cornice wallhead stacks flanking entrance to farmyard to S; cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: timber-lined stairwell with timber stair giving access to accommodation apartment at 1st floor; boarded ceiling; cast-iron fire surround to E wall; timber floor and exposed rafters to grain store; modern dairy fittings.

COTTAGE AND KILN RANGE TO SW: 10-bay range comprising: pair of single storey, 3-bay cottages, now converted as one, to outer left with lean-to addition to rear; 1 1/2-storey, single bay, crowstep-gabled kiln to centre; single storey 3-bay cottage, now converted as garage to right. Harled cottages; random rubble kiln.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: small window at 1st floor of centred kiln. Deepset door with window in each bay flanking in each 'cottage' bay to left. Deep-set boarded door with window in each bay flanking in garage bays to right.

Replacement timber-framed windows with top-hung upper lights. Graded stone tiled cottage and garage roofs; grey slate roof to kiln; uPVC rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: timber stair to 1st floor. Remainder unseen, 1998.

COTTAGE TO REAR (E) OF MAIN HOUSE: E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: single storey, 4-bay asymmetrical rectangular-plan cottage. Harled.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: boarded door in bay to left of centre. Window in bay to outer left. Window in remaining bays to right.

Replacement timber-framed windows with top-hung upper lights. Modern felt covered roof; stone ridge; coped skews; harled, coped ridge and gablehead stacks; uPVC and cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1998.

Statement of Interest

Built for Samuel Reid, Provost of Kirkwall. The name probably derives from the combination of the words, broad and bister, meaning a broad farm settlement.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing
Wikidata IDs Q77774300 Q77774303 Q77774313 Q77774316

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