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MHG66501 - Holoman cottage - Holoman, Raasay

Summary

A substantial house exhibiting two phases of construction.

Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

A township comprising five roofed buildings, one partially roofed long building, five unroofed buildings, four enclosures and a head-dyke is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye 1879, sheet xxx). One roofed, twelve unroofed buildings, three enclosures, a sheepfold and a head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1989).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 4 November 1996

The survey of Oskaig and Holoman was carried out by ACFA in April 1995 as part of a continuing survey of the Island of Raasay.
Ruins of Holoman cottage (Macdonald and Wood 1995, fig 17). <1>

Feature 47. Holoman cottage. The remains of this substantial stone cottage lie some 50m south of Holoman Manse on the east side of the road on gently rising ground. The building lies parallel with the road and is excavated into the slope so that its floor is fully 1.30m below ground level at the rear or inland side. The house is 11.5m long x 3.75m wide internally with walls 0.9m thick. The gables at the north and south ends are 1.10m thick with fireplaces and internal flues in both. A doorway is located centrally in the west wall with a window on either side. This wall stands to just above cill height about 1.20m high externally. The basal stones are massive along the length and at the gables. The east wall, or retaining wall, is 1.30m high to the exterior ground level only.

The fire openings in the gables are 0.95m wide x 0.85m high and recessed 0.60m. The lintel over the fire opening on the south gable is a large slab 1.40m long x 0.45m high x 0.15m thick. The flue rises vertically behind the lintel, initially 0.40m square but tapers to a 0.25m square above the lintel. Some 0.85m above the fireplace the wall thickness reduces to 0.90m and forms a scarcement 0.3m deep. To the left of the fireplace, but in the south gable only, is a mural cupboard recess some 0.35m deep and 0.65m wide. No evidence of the roof remains but it is reasonable to assume that the roof was clad with corrngated metal sheeting. Behind the cottage, on the higher level, is a rectangular outbuilding 5.00m x 2m internally with walls 0.80m thick built against the house.

Some 7.0m from the south east corner of the cottage is a low stony oval shaped mound 5.00m long x 2.5m at the widest. The centre of the mound is hollow measuring 1.75m x 0.90m. Folklore has a story of twins buried in the garden of the cottage. It is known that the house has been empty since the first years of this century and that it was the home of a Miss Kate McLean, daughter of William McLean mentioned as levelling the road from Raasay House to the shore in the Raasay House Weather Diaries 15/3/1852. <2>

NGR adjusted based on 2010 vertical aerial photographs. <3>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5535 3973 (11m by 17m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG53NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

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