MHG12726 - Landing place and winch - Port Vasgo
Summary
A rift, possibly artifically widened and straightened, in the rocky shore, with a crab winch for hauling boats.
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
(Location cited as NC 575 652). Port Vasgo. A rift, possibly artifically widened and straightened, in the rocky shore, with a crab winch for hauling boats. Nearby are some single-storey storehouses.
J R Hume 1977. <1>
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
At the landward end of a natural slipway through the intertidal bedrock (see NC 56 NE 2: site 7 below), approximately 15 m from the HWM and above a cobble beach is a cast-iron boat-winch. The winch is marked "To lift direct 25 BWT" on the SW frame and "To lift 5 ton W 2 and 3 sheave blocks" on the NW frame. The top of the frame is marked "No 12". The E frame exhibits the same markings. The winch has three gears and stands on two large E-W oriented slabs which measure 2 m by 1 m. The winch is also secured to two further slabs at the west and the north. In general, this winch is beginning to disintegrate and is rusting badly and no longer operable. This small bay is a natural harbour and has clearly been used as a landing-place. Graham and Gordon (1987, 319) have listed this as a harbour-site, with the NMRS categorising it as a landing-place. This original survey found only a channel between rocks, and no specific archaeological evidence has been forthcoming during this survey to support this inference from the place-name on the map. <2>
NGR adjusted based on 2020 vertical aerial photographs. <3>
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG1309 Text/Publication/Article: Graham, A and Gordon, J. 1988. 'Old harbours in northern and western Scotland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 117 (1987), pp 265-352. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Digital. 265-352.
- <1> SHG2332 Text/Publication/Volume: Hume, J R. 1977. The industrial archaeology of Scotland 2: The Highlands and Islands. Paper (Original). 320.
- <2> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . p.162,163 Site 6/7.
- <3> SHG28725 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 2020. Getmapping aerial photography 2020. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 5850 6506 (116m by 43m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC56NE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | TONGUE |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (1)
- https://trove.scot/place/5382 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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