Building record MAB20892 - BRAESIDE COTTAGES

Remains of a croft/cottages depicted on historic maps.

Remains of a croft/cottages depicted on historic maps. A late 18th century estate map of Blairs shows a cluster of five buildings at Braeside surrounded by irregular areas of croft cultivation. Later estate maps show that the existing long building was on the site by 1830 and this remained unchanged apart from the addition of a small structure at the west end by 1901. Whilst only the long building is shown on the OS 1st edition, by the time of the 2nd edition a smaller rectangular building had been added to the south. A building survey was carried out by MAS in 2012 as part of a historic landscape survey of the Blairs estate ahead of proposed development of the estate. The long building is now roofless but this line of cottages was used for accommodation for single works until the late 1960s/early1970s. The track was moved from south of the building to its present position to the north by 1901. The long building , measuring 30m by 5.6m wide overall externally, has frontages facing south to a small garden. It is built of rubble stone with rybats, lintels and sills roughly dressed. Collapsed slate suggest it was roofed in slate though it may originally have been thatched. It is divided into three equal sized and almost identical units, each with a central door flanked by two windows. Each had a fireplace at one end and a cast iron oven at the other. The units were probably divided into two rooms opening off a lobby although no internal wooden walls survive.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2012, BLAIRS ABERDEENSHIRE. PART 1: HISTORIC LANDSCAPE SURVEY, MAS2012-08 pt 1 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4999.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2012, BLAIRS ABERDEENSHIRE. PART 3: STANDING BUILDING SURVEY OF THE STEADING, MAS2012-08 pt 3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5001.

Record last edited

Feb 14 2019 3:56PM