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Publication Account
Date 2013
Event ID 979319
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/979319
Originally built as a saltpan in 1794, this large vaulted masonry structure has been adapted as an icehouse by salmon fishermen from the second half of the 19th century to the present day. The remains of a projecting chimney, blocked ventilation windows and water inlet attest to the original function as a salt pan. Footings of an ancillary building can be seen to the south of the main structure. Nearby, a long man-made channel with grooves for a sluice gate at its seaward end is thought to have acted as a preliminary evaporation area. The remains are more extensive than at any other mainland saltworks, but production was low (3,200 bushels per year, 1795-8) because coal had to be brought by sea.
The fisher houses form two terraces with a brick and concrete water/lookout tower. There also is a coastguard station and a rocket house, where rockets were stored and could be wheeled out by cart when needed to fire a line at any boat in difficulty.
M Watson, 2013
