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MHG62664 - Dam, fish hatchery - Alltan Leacach

Summary

Fish hatchery dam, Alltan Leacach

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

Meryl Marshall of NOSAS conducted a survey of the fish hatchery dams on 15 July 2017 and 8th Nov 2018.

Fish Hatchery.
A 19th century fish hatchery comprising a building (see MHG24348) and three dams was located in the upper reaches of the Alltan Leacach on glebe land above and to the west of Clachan Church. Dundonnell Estate is adjacent to the NW of the watershed. A building is marked on the 1st edition OS map of 1896 as a single ruin, but yet historical and local information has it that there was a roofed building here in the 1920s. Information from local people and the keeper on the Dundonnell Estate, a sketch of the building in the 1920s by Muriel Foster and her fishing diary “Days on Sea, Loch and River” between 1913 and 1928, have been helpful in enabling an interpretation of the building and the dams to be made. It is believed that there were 2 phases of use; first as a hatchery for rearing fish c1870 when the Dundonnell Estate was developed and leased for “Sporting activities” and then from preWW1 years to the 1960s when it was used by fishing tenants. Local people also reported that the minister had stayed here when the manse was let out to fishing tenants.

The dams
Three dams on the glebe land in the Alltan Dubh are located 100 to 300m to the west of the building Canmore ID 103231 - HER MHG24348, and are part of the fish hatchery established at the end of the 19th century by the Dundonnell estate. A fourth dam at Lochan Dubh to the south probably provided water power for a mill at Clachan (recorded seperately)

Lochan Dubh Dam.
This dam is one of four dams located at an altitude of 380m on the glebe land above and to the west of Clachan Church, it possibly provided the water power for a mill at Clachan. The other three dams are a short distance to the north in the Alltan Leacach and part of a fish hatchery – see Canmore ID 103231 - HER MHG24348 . The Lochan Dubh dam is at the north end of a small lochan, Lochan Dubh, marked on the current 1:25,000 OS map. It is close to the old track from Clachan/Croftown to Dundonnell. The dam is quite substantial; it is 40m in length, 2.5m thick and up to 1m high and constructed of the local stone which is relatively thin and laminates easily. The dam is quite well preserved, it has battered faces and a small outlet channel at the centre, there is no evidence of a sluice. <1>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 1658 8452 (36m by 13m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH18SE
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	LOCHBROOM

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