Skye, Monkstadt House, Steading

Monkstadt (or Mugstead) House, 1732-41, interior remodelled by James Gillespie Graham, 1803. Plain former laird's house of five bays with later extension and porch, set above what was its orchard on a sward of reclaimed land. Built for Sir Alexander Macdonald of Sleat re-using stones from Duntulm Castle, which it replaced as the Macdonald seat, it was reputedly the first slated house in Skye. It became a tacksman's house after the Macdonalds moved to Armadale in 1798, and was ruinous by the 1950s. But measured drawings of 1928 document it well, recording elegant Georgian plasterwork and panelling. Recent investigation has revealed 17th century fireplaces behind window embrasures. Court of Farm Offices, Gillespie Graham, c.1803, also roofless, with surviving gearing and arm for two-beast horse-walk.

Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2007. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk