Building record MAB11186 - 35 MAIN STREET, NEWMILL

House, part of the planned village of Newmill founded in 1759 (NJ45SW0047), cited in deeds of 1901 as 'Feu No 70'.

House, part of the planned village of Newmill founded in 1759 (NJ45SW0047), cited in deeds of 1901 as 'Feu No 70'. The site now comprises a one-and-a-half stprey cottage with single storey smiddy store at east end (this possibly truncated when the cottage was built) , a small outbuilding and garage. Conversion of the smiddy store to living space in 2009 uncovered a clay thatch roof. This building had originally been stone cobbled. The east gable incorporated a later fire opening and chimney breast. The roof was supported on 8 A-frame trusses, on which were a series of rough hewn sarking boards which supported rows of turf divots, laid in overlapping fashion, which had then been covered by a mixture of clay and straw (although most of this material had been removed or deteriorated). The architectural features suggest that the smiddy building is older than the main house. Clay thatch (a thatch of straw, bent grass, heather or reeds impregnated with a mixture of clay) is known across the country, although mainly used in the area between Moray and Fife. Examples date back to 1750 although the main period of use was in the 1880s and earlu

BROWN, N, 2011, CLAY THATCH ROOF AT 35 MAIN STEET, NEWMILL, KEITH, MORAY. IN VERNACULAR BUILDING 19 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3781.

Record last edited

Jun 9 2014 9:11AM