Description

Circa 1857 with later alterations. 2-storey, 3-bay square-plan symmetrical farmhouse with centred lean-to entrance porch at ground, piended roof and twin stacks; pair of single storey, 2-bay adjoined cottages to E of farmhouse; row of 6 similar (pair to S roofless) farm cottages, 'Hill Street' to SW of farmhouse. Harl-pointed random rubble to most structures.

FARMHOUSE: S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: window in lean-to porch at ground in bay to centre; boarded door in right return; window at 1st floor above. Window at each floor in each bay flanking.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: window at each floor in each bay.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: window at ground to outer left; blank elsewhere.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay: window at each floor in each bay.

4- and 12-pane timber sash and case windows with some externally double glazed. Grey slate piended roof; stone ridge; corrugated-iron to porch; corniced rubble twin stacks; predominantly cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: decorative cast-iron balusters with timber handrail to central stair; remainder not fully seen, 1998.

COTTAGES: PAIR TO E: N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: centred lean-to entrance porch spanning bays to centre; boarded door to right and left. Window in bay to centre to W cottage. Window, to outer left to E cottage. S (REAR) ELEVATION: central blocked doorway with window in each bay flanking to each cottage.

Various timber-framed windows. Traditional graded stone tiled roof; stone ridge; stone skews; rubble, corniced gablehead stacks to E and W; similar central ridge stack; predominantly cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIORS: not seen, 1998.

ROW TO SW, 'HILL STREET': adjoining cottages forming small terrace, southernmost 2 roofless. Central boarded door with window in each bay flanking to each cottage. Grey slate roof; rubble corniced gablehead and ridge stacks. INTERIORS: not seen, 1998.

Statement of Interest

Originally one of the largest farms in Orkney, Stove is a large and important group of buildings on Sanday, 'no more massive structures can be found on any farm in Orkney' (Goodfellow). Mr Francis MacKenzie who owned the farm at the close of the 19th century 'spared no expense in trying to have everything up to date' (Goodfellow), consequently Stove was one of the first farms to introduce mechanisation in the form of a Clayton and Shuttleworth steam-driven threshing machine. Stove has as a complex history of ownership, the present substantial dwelling and farm courtyard replacing more modest accommodation in the mid 19th century. The existence of the farm is recorded on MacKenzie's map of 1750 and by 1793 Samuel Laing of Papdale had subdivided the south promontory into one large and five small farms. In the 1870s the land was squared and in 1920 the farm was bought by the Scottish Board of Agriculture and split into nine small holdings for World War I veterans. On 11th May 1972, a large part of the steading was destroyed by fire, and is now largely derelict (1999).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17826924

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)