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MHG665010 - House - Balachuirn

Summary

A rectangular house lies roughly north-south on its long axis and measures 11m x 5m.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A township comprising thirteen roofed, three unroofed buildings, four enclosures, some field walls and a head-dyke is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye 1879, sheet xxx). There are three rectilinear plots at the S end of the township which indicates the partial allocation of crofts.
Ten roofed buildings, one of which has an attached enclosure, ten unroofed buildings, four other enclosures, some field walls and the fragmentary remains of a head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1988).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 31 October 1996

The survey of Balachuirn, Balmeanach, Brae, Inbhire (Inver on OS 1:10,000 map) and the surrounding area was carried out by ACFA in April 1996 as part of a continuing programme of recording the physical remains of human activity on the island of Raasay.

Feature 7. A rectangular house lies roughly north-south on its long axis and measures 11m x 5m. It is of dry-stone construction with walls still standing at the highest point to 1.6m high. At places where the walling is broken it can be seen that the walls are double-faced with stone and rubble infill. An entrance, 1m wide, lies in the east wall. Refilled sections in the east wall on either side of the doorway suggest earlier windows. In both the north and the south walls an infilled section suggests that a fireplace has been filled in. In the northeast and southeast comer modem wooden sections have formed buchts for working with sheep. To the north of the doorway, outside the house, a short, 2m, length of stones has been set into the ground. To the south of the doorway a setting of stones has been laid in a curving line from the doorway to the end of the house where it meets a setting of stones running down to the east for 5m. Modem gating then lies between the end of this line of stones and the edge of the modem track. Around the house and within the enclosure the ground is grassy and clear of stones, in sharp contrast to the area between the enclosing bank and the hillside to the west which is covered with very large boulder tumble. A post and wire fence divides the above section of the site from an area of ground which is boggy and strewn with great quantities of very large boulder tumble. Among these boulders lie features 1 & 2. <1>

NGR adjusted based on 2023 vertical aerial photographs. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5545 4077 (11m by 13m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG54SE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

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Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (1)