Building record MAB16094 - LAMBSLACK, ROTHIENORMAN

Farmstead, in use, depicted on the historic OS maps.

Farmstead, in use, depicted on the historic OS maps. The 1st edition map shows the main steading building as L-plan with two long ranges and a short extension south at the western end, the court open to the south and southwest, with a rectangular enclosure and small rectangular building within the court. An unroofed circular horse-mill is shown adjacent to the northeast corner of the steading and a pump to the southeast of the court. The L-plan farmhouse with an attached garden enclosure and an outbuilding are shown to the south of the court. On the 2nd edition map the western range has been extended making the steading more U-plan, the building within the court has been extended to the north and an additional pump is shown to the southeast. The current edition OS map shows that these buildings survive in a modified form with additions and alterations. The outbuilding west of the farmhouse, the horse-mill, the pumps and the building within the court are all no longer shown, with a later south range shown at the south end of the court. A Level 1 Standing Building Survey was carried out in September 2021 by Murray Archaeological Services prior to proposed demolition of the farm buildings and redevelopment. In the 1861 census, William Mearns is recorded as the farmer at Lambslack of 126 acres, a family of nine, employing a ploughman and a cattlemen. His younger son, Andrew, later took over the farm until 1927. The steading is recorded as being derelict, formerly consisting of the byre, barn and stables, with stone walls and red sandstone at the quoins and around the original openings. The west, south and north ranges were slate roofed, with collapse at the west end of the north range. The east range was roofed with corrugated asbestos. The east range had gear shaft fittings remaining through the wall to the earlier horse-mill, timber trevis supports for three horse stalls with harness pegs above, the probable remains of two cart bay doors modified into one door, indicating the probable original use as a cartshed. A loft ran above the central and southern parts of the range, with the northern part having a higher floor level. The north range was the byre used for cattle, with a tied cow stall surviving in the southeast corner. The northern part of the west range included a socketed stone in the floor, suggesting this area had been divided into two cattle pens or stalls, maybe for bulls or dairy cows for household use. The southern part of the west range included a fireplace, two shallow alcoves possibly for the ends of two box beds, and was probably used for accommodation. The eastern part of the south range included a fireplace and was probably used as a bothy. The western part of the range was a pig shed divided into three parts by wooden partitions with pig pens, a feed trough and access to the court. The farmhouse was one and a half storey, with harled stone walls, red sandstone chimneys, original windows, and with a later sunroom and three dormers added to the south frontage.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2021, LAMBSLACK, ROTHIENORMAN, ABERDEENSHIRE: STANDING BUILDING SURVEY , SBS (Bibliographic reference). SAB7553.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2022, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 22 (2021), P.10 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8314.

Record last edited

Jul 25 2022 2:50PM