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MHG5652 - Salisbury's Dam, Rhum

Summary

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Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

This massive structure was built in the late 1840's to divert the head waters of the Kilmory River through a rock-cut lade into the Kinloch River, but was breached at the NW end a few days after the reservoir was filled. The curving dam is formed by two battered drystone walls enclosing an earth core and measures 10.5m in thickness at the base about 5.8m in height. Its original length was about 60m of which 45m survive. The lade (NM 364 999 to NG 367 000) measures about 300m in length and includes a rock-cut section up to 7m wide and 4m deep. The footings of a rectangular building (9.2m by 3m internally) are situated on the S side of the lade 190m ENE of the dam.
Visited by RCAHMS June 1983.

Two contemporary stone buttresses are bonded into the front of the dam. Upstream from the building are the remains of a bridge which once formed access across the channel.
NMRS MS/868/1

An unroofed building of two compartments is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire, Islands of Rum, Sanday etc., 1879, sheet lx), but it is not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1976).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 5 December 1996
NM39NE 27 3635 9992

This massive structure was built in the late 1840's to divert the
head waters of the Kilmory River through a rock-cut lade into the Kinloch River, but was breached at the NW end a few days after the reservoir was filled. The curving dam is formed by two battered drystone walls enclosing an earth core and measures 10.5m in thickness at the base about 5.8m in height. Its original length was about 60m of which 45m survive. The lade (NM 364 999 to NG 367 000) measures about 300m in length and includes a rock-cut section up to 7m wide and 4m deep. The footings of a rectangular building (9.2m by 3m internally) are situated on the S side of the lade 190m ENE of the dam.
Visited by RCAHMS June 1983.

Two contemporary stone buttresses are bonded into the front of the dam. Upstream from the building are the remains of a bridge which once formed access across the channel.
NMRS MS/868/1

An unroofed building of two compartments is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire, Islands of Rum, Sanday etc., 1879, sheet lx), but it is not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1976).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 5 December 1996

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NM 3653 9996 (405m by 288m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NM39NE
Civil Parish	SMALL ISLES
Geographical Area	LOCHABER

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Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

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