Horse Gin, view from North. Digital image of D 23989 CN

Description Horse Gin, view from North. Digital image of D 23989 CN

Date 16/3/1998

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 742342

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 23989 CN

Scope and Content Horse gin, Sibster Mains Farm, Highland, from north Sibster Mains Farm has a large steading arranged around a square courtyard, dating variously from the late 18th century to the mid- to late 19th century and into the 20th century. It is thus a fine example of agricultural development through three centuries and is particularly notable for its 18th-century kiln barn. This is the early to mid-19th-century horse gin (engine) from the north, showing the late 19th-century, square, brick-built chimney poking up from the roof. This hexagonal building is the only known example of its type in Caithness. Inside this the horse or horses would walk and power a mechanical threshing drum. The first horse engines were obviously stiff to drive as two horses were usually the minimum number required. A good deal of effort went into the development of lighter mills suitable for one horse and less expensive so that smaller farms could afford to install them. Horse power was eventually replaced by oil- and electric-powered machines. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/742342

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap