Oldhall Farm
Farmstead (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Oldhall Farm
Classification Farmstead (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Oldhall Mains Farm, Old Hall Farm, Braes Of Dunn Mains Farm
Canmore ID 95380
Site Number ND25NW 39
NGR ND 20600 56498
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/95380
- Council Highland
- Parish Watten
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
ND25NW 39 20600 56498.
Farm, Old Hall (ND 2050 5640). Courtyard farm and L-shaped barn range, still occupied.
Farm, Oldhall Mains (ND 2058 5657). Courtyard farm, still in occupation.
Farm, Braes of Dun Mains (ND 2060 5646). Quadrangular farm and associated house, still in occupation.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995.
At least four roofed buildings (including a large courtyard surrounded by one roofed building) are depicted on the first edition of the OS 6-inch map (Caithness 1877, sheet xviii). Six roofed buildings (including the large building) are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,000 map (1971). One of the roofed buildings may be the house mentioned above at ND 2055 5642.
Information from RCAHMS (FO) 18 March 1996.
The buildings of Oldhall Farm form a square around a central courtyard, now housing later covered cattle courts, accessible by a gap in the SW. They include a milk house, bothies, flagstone-stalled byres, stables with an implement shed to the rear (NE), a barn with a water-powered threshing machine and a three-storey building of seven-bay cart shed at ground level, granary at first-floor and loft above. The latter may be the earliest building on the site. The pit for the waterwheel is accommodated in a lean-to building on the rear side of the barn, with water supplied from a dam a short distance to the SW. The buildings are all of roughly coursed flagstone, with cobbled or flagstone floors, and slate or corrugated asbestos roofs. Cottages lie to the N of the steading, and the farmhouse to the SW, now within a camping and caravan park. Originally the farmsteading belonged to Oldhall House (ND25NW 39), but the farmland has since been divided into several small holdings. The site was visited in 2000.
Information from RCAHMS (ARG) 17 July 2006