General view from SE, showing covered cattle shed (NC 5324 1487) and byre (NC 5323 1487) See MS/744/102/1, 2, 3, item 11

Description General view from SE, showing covered cattle shed (NC 5324 1487) and byre (NC 5323 1487) See MS/744/102/1, 2, 3, item 11

Date 17/8/1995

Collection Scottish Farm Buildings Survey

Catalogue Number C 61096

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 738261

Scope and Content Cattle shed and byre, Shinness Steading, Highland Shinness Steading was built on the huge Sutherland estate which, by 1873, comprised almost 1.3m acres, more than 90% of the county. Shinness was originally a sheep farm, but between 1872 and 1877, the land was drained to create four new arable farms and in 1882 new buildings were erected at Shinness itself. This shows the covered cattle sheds with byre behind viewed from the south-east. The upper storey of the byre was used as a cattle-cake house and is divided from the barn by a wooden partition. This part of the steading has maintained its original slate roof unlike the cattle courts, which have been re-roofed with corrugated iron. The total cost of improvements at Shinness was £1,374, but the drainage on all the farms in this area was not satisfactory and cultivation was soon abandoned. In most years between 1882 and 1890 the farms were run at a loss. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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