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MHG30002 - Salt Works - Brora Links

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See also:
NC90SW0052 - Salt Pans (New)
NC90SW0004 - Coal Shaft & Salt Pans
NC80SE0077 - Coal Shaft & Tramway, Inverbrora
NC80SE0078 - No 1 Colliery, Fascally
NC80SE0013 - Ross No 2 Colliery, Fascally
NC80SE0111 - Colliery Tramway, Fascally
NC80SE0110 - Clay Pits
NC80SE0052 - Brora Brickworks
NC80SE0109 - Colliery Monument
J Aitken : 4/2/2004
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A survey of the area was carried out on 12th & 13th and 19th & 20th June 2004, by Clyne Heritage Society and NOSAS. Windblown sand was removed from a section of wall on the foreshore. This substantial wall survives to three courses high in some places, with one small section still standing at it's NE end. It appears that the interior of the building faces onto the beach and is entered by a doorway on the SE face of the building. The appraoch to the doorway is now completely consumed by a large shifting sand dune. The wall is in excess of 30m long, with a possible corner, turning beachwards. A full EDM survey of the wall, and other features has been completed.
Information supplied by J Aitken : 21/06/04
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An investigation of the site is currently taking place to determine the nature and extent of the building remains at this location. The walls may belong to the first salt pans erected in 1598 by Lady Jane Gordon, widow of the then Earl of Sutherland, or her son Earl John in 1614. The near-by coal pits would have provided the necessary fuel to fire the pans in an early salt production industry.
J Aitken : 4/2/2004
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E-mail sent to Tom Dawson (SCAPE), 21/02/03. See assoc. docs. File. J Aitken : 28/02/03
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The portions of wall recorded at this location are under threatened from coastal erosion, with only a small fragment of Wall B remaining. Along this stretch of beach from the radio station in the E, to Sputie Burn in the SW, at least a couple of metres has been lost and in some cases up to 5m. It was observed that at Wall B the effects of the erosion has exposed further evidence of burning activity at the site with layers of burnt coal clearly visible, up to 1.5m high. The burnt material may have come from a furnace at the site? No slag has been found at this location, which may imply that some other industrial process was in operation requiring large amounts of coal, e.g. salt panning. This site is eroding at an alarming rate and a recording exercise or rescue excavation will be needed to find out what industrial activity was taking place at this site, before all the scant remains have totally disappeared.
Information supplied by J Aitken : 21/02/03
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The remains of these walls are situated on the edge of the coastal foreshore at the haed of 'Port a' Gheamhraidh (Winter Port), at the foot of the Links. This area is part of 40 acres of downs belonging to Inverbrora Farm, owned by Sutherland Estate.

The buildings are not shown on the 1st or 2nd edition OS maps, dating 1872 & 1906, and historical accounts are lacking.
Researcher John S Owen suggests these remains may mark the position of the first set of Salt Pans, dating back to 1600. Local Brora resident R Wilson favours a connection with the sea, rather than salt, i.e. Smoke House. He states that a storm excavated a deep hole, 4-5 ft deep, in front of these buildings revealing heat-affected rock and possibly parrot coal. He suggests this fired area could be the site of Salt Pans of the pre-1800 era.
Wall A - This portion of wall survives to a height of 1.9m and is 5.3m long. It is situated NE of NC90SW0028(Coal Road). The wall is double-skinned, constructed from a series of large sandstone blocks, average size, 0.7m by 0.46m, with smaller stones filling the gaps. This network is all firmly fixed together with a Lime Mortar, containing shells, sand and pebbles.
The outside skin of walls A & B are badly eroded, i.e. High Tides. This erosion and weathering loosens the mortar and small stones, which cause the larger blocks to fall to the shore. They get lodged between other stones and shingle which restricts their movement. As a result where the walls have collapsed, their extent or size can be traced by following the pattern of blocks on the shore. The inside skin of wall A remains intact. A sample of mortar was carefully removed for dating purposes.
A deposit of natural clay was found 11.47m due W from wall A. Natural clay Deposits are found near-by at Spouty and Fascally.
WALL B - This second portion of wall is 1.95m in height and is 5.9m long. The gap between wall A & B is approx. 6.45m, in a NE direction. This gap contains portions of badly eroded wall, mostly to ground level. Wall B construction same as Wall A, I.e. Sandstone, Conglomerate & Limestone blocks, all found outcropping locally. Wall B is 0.84m thick.
Directly inside the E end of Wall B, compacted layers of burnt material was found, ranging from burnt coal (Coke) to a layer of pink ash, 180mm thick. This layer extended 2m behind the wall, then was engulfed by the subsiding sandbank.
On the shore, outside S-facing wall B, a sandstone block was found with a ring shape carved out. The block measured 0.87m by 0.66m, the ring feature was 20mm deep and the raised centre 80mm across.

Wall C & D - Due W of Wall B is Wall C, height 1.46m and length 3.56m. This wall faces E and lies approx. 26ms from Wall B. The distance from wall C to D is 7.4m, only a few blocks remain.
These wall remains probably relate to more than one building, at least two. An Iron Coupling was found behind Wall A which may have been used as a ships weight or by a smithy as an anvil. The burning activity associated with the interior of Wall B could indicate an earlier industrial activity at the site, i.e. Salt Pans, Lime Kilns or Smoke House, it may have been used for different purposes at different periods. Coastal erosion poses a majour threat to the remains at this site which may only last another 10yrs. It is possible that a radiocarbon date be obtained from the mortar material
Information supplied by J Aitken, Clyne Heritage Society, 01/00.
See Assoc. Docs. File.

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Grid reference	Centred NC 9049 0329 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC90SW
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND

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