We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?
Latitude: 58.9463 / 58°56'46"N
Longitude: -2.8055 / 2°48'19"W
OS Eastings: 353748
OS Northings: 1006843
OS Grid: HY537068
Mapcode National: GBR M5F2.PJ8
Mapcode Global: WH7CD.WD7J
Plus Code: 9CCVW5WV+GQ
Entry Name: Herring-Curing Station, Mirkady Point
Listing Name: Deerness, Mirkady Point, Mirkady Fishing Station
Listing Date: 5 May 1999
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 393358
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB46146
Building Class: Cultural
ID on this website: 200393358
Location: St Andrews and Deerness
County: Orkney Islands
Electoral Ward: East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray
Parish: St Andrews And Deerness
Traditional County: Orkney
Tagged with: Fishing station
Earlier 19th century. 2-storey, 3-bay rectangular-plan symmetrical fishing station with lean-to shed to rear (now roofless) and forestair to W gable. Random rubble.
S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: boarded door at ground in bay to centre; window (blocked) at 1st floor above. Window at ground in bay to left; window (blocked) at 1st floor above. Window (blocked) at each floor in bay to right.
N (REAR) ELEVATION: single storey, 4-bay former shed wall spanning rear elevation. Former window in each bay to left; former doorway in bay to outer right; bottle-shaped fireplace to interior W wall; remnants of rubble stack above. Centred blocked window at each floor to rear elevation of fishing station behind; small ventilation holes along entire elevation beneath eaves.
W (SIDE) ELEVATION: rubble screen wall to forestair to boarded door, set to right of gable at 1st floor; gablehead stack above. Blank former shed wall to outer left.
E (SIDE) ELEVATION: window (blocked) at 1st floor set to right of gable; gablehead stack above. Former shed wall to outer right.
Single remaining fixed timber-framed window; remainder blocked. Grey slate roof; coped skews; rubble, corniced stacks.
INTERIOR: exposed tiebeams and boards to floor division. Now used as hay store.
The 19th century saw a boom in herring fishing with many similar buildings being erected around Orkney to land the vast catches. Herring fishing in Deerness supported 50-60 boats in the mid 19th century. The name Mirkady probably derives from the Old Norse word, myrkr, meaning dark or dusky. It has been suggested that the word might refer to the long, dark ridge of seaweed which lines the shoreline at low tide and is clearly visible from the fishing station. The lean-to was probably added in the 1880s boom to accomodate extra fish-gutters.
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.
Other nearby listed buildings
