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MHG585656 - Farmstead - Armishader

Summary

A shepherd's house, sheepfold and three enclosures, part of Scorrybreac Sheep Farm formed in 1827.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

Situated below a steep NW facing slope at the SE end of Loch Leathan, are five buildings, including a shepherd’s house, a sheepfold and three enclosures. They lie in rough grazing at 150m OD and a large sycamore tree growing in front of the NW corner of the shepherd’s house can be seen from the A855 Portree-Staffin road on the W side of Loch Leathan. The site was part of Scorrybreac Sheep Farm which was formed in 1827 and by the mid-nineteenth century was one of the largest sheep farms in Scotland. When the Board of Agriculture for Scotland bought the ground, c1927, the grazing at Armishader was taken over by South Scorrybreac Sheep Stock Club who continued to use the sheepfold until c1951, when a hydro scheme (Storr Lochs Power Station) raised the level of Loch Leathan, cutting off access from the S end of Loch Leathan. The North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board built a new sheepfold to replace it beside the main road at the S end of Loch Fada (MHG58655).
The 1st Edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Island of Skye 1878, sheet xviii) shows five roofed buildings, the sheepfold and three enclosures. The roofed buildings correspond with the shepherd’s house, store and adjoining buildings just described; but also include a second building lying behind the shepherd’s house and a building lying within the N part of the sheepfold. The older building opposite the adjoining buildings is not shown. The accompanying object name book describes Armishader as 'a house one storey, thatched and in bad repair with an enclosure or two of arable'.
The 2nd Edition OS 6-inch map (revised 1901) edition shows two roofed buildings (the shepherd’s house and store), one partly-roofed building (the adjoining buildings) and one unroofed building (the sheepfold building).
Information from Scotland's Rural Past Storr Lochs Project, July 2011. <1>

See link below to HES Canmore record for site sketch plans, photos and detailed description of the site.

GIS Spatial data created 2018 based OS Master Map. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5023 5022 (253m by 209m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG55SW
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	SNIZORT

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External Links (1)