Description

Later 19th century farmhouse and early 19th century steading, incorporating earlier material. Sandstone rubble with some harling harling to farm buildings and earlier house (now storage); irregular coursed stone to house. Further buildings to S of courtyard; smithy and byre.

FARMHOUSE

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: advanced central porch; bipartite windows; circular finial to porch roof. Door in right return; bipartite window to flanking bays. Central single 1st floor window; flanking bipartite windows. Attached to earlier house at N gable; other elevations; not seen, 2000.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows. 2 polygonal piended dormer attic windows wholly in roof to front; small rooflight between. Purple grey slate; raised flat-head skews; coped gable end stacks; circular clay cans. Ridge stack to earlier farmhouse; stone slab roof tiles.

INTERIOR: panelled timber doors and doorframes; deep skirting boards; decorative plaster cornicing including egg and dart and floral motifs. Fireplaces remain including fine later 19th century fireplace in dining room; heavy black marble surround and mantel; inset glazed floral pattern tiles; decorative iron hood.

FARM

W RANGE: 2-storey byre attached to former house. Adjacent 2-storey byre connected to byre by pair of steps with connecting platform; possible accommodation for itinerant workers at upper level of both byres.

N RANGE: stable block to N; cattle feeding byre to NE.

E RANGE: crowstepped 2-storey threshing barn; lean-to engine shed to E of threshing barn incorporating chimney.

S RANGE: arched entrance to courtyard to SE; cartshed to centre; open-fronted to courtyard, granary above. Welding shed between house and cartshed.

Smithy to S of courtyard; garage and former grieve's house. Low heifer byre to E of smithy. Single storey crowstepped byre within courtyard with attached crowstepped L-plan byre. Part of midden wall within courtyard remains. Original Blackstone engine which ran the threshing machine continues in use (now connected to mains electricity). Smithy equipment remains in situ, including tools, anvil, bellows and blade sharpener constructed from inscribed gravestone.

Predominantly stone slab roofs; asbestos to NW byre and stable range. Partially crowstepped roofs to heifer byre and smithy.

Statement of Interest

Survival of an interesting farm which until later 20th century was worked by Clydesdale horses, ensuring the lack of alteration to most of the buildings (which commonly occurs when housing modern machinery and equipment). Holland is mentioned in the Orkney Testaments and Inventories as belonging to Maraget Boner in 1625. Holland belonged to William Balfour, 2nd Laird of Trenabie, Westray (1719-1786) until he became bankrupt and sold it off. His brother Thomas became the factor for Holland in 1768. William Balfour founded the Kirkwall Library (Bibliotek); his books which were originally kept at Holland are now at Aberdeen University (Owner's information).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77774263

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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