Airigh Shamhraidh

Airidh Shamhraidh, early 18th century Probably a tacksman's house of the Kingairloch Macleans, of considerable interest with its associated buildings, despite their ruinous state. The house, which was intact until the Navy used it for target practice in the war, has sandstone lintels re-used from Glensanda Castle. Still visible is the former kitchen range at right angles, a large kiln barn (probably of earlier date), and footings of other corndrying kilns. Also of interest near the lonely stand of trees on the shore of Loch Linnhe are remains of enclosures and rig cultivation.

Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

NM84NW 2 842 494

(NM 8400 4935) The remains of this early 18th-century laird's house, with associated enclosures and rig-cultivation, and other fragmentary buildings, occupy a remote site on the SE coast of Kingairloch. The principal building, rectangular on plan and two-storeyed, is now so ruinous that, although its gable-walls stand to their full height, no openings survive in the side-walls. A second roofless building, also two-storeyed, stands at right angles to it; the distance between their adjacent angles being only 1.4m. Both structures are built of random-rubble masonry, bonded in lime mortar and harled externally.

To the E of these buildings there is a large tree-lined rectangular enclosure, apparently corresponding to that indicated on Roy's Map of about 1750. The level ground SW of the buildings, separated from them by a small stream, is occupied by the footings of two structures, both corn-drying kilns. The larger of these, situated some 60m S of the principal building, is a combined kiln-barn. The other is situated 27m W of the house. A ruinous dwelling of dry-stone masonry with cruck-recesses in the side and gable-walls, occupies the summit of a small knoll some 100m W of the main group of buildings. A smaller round-angled structure situated NE of the building just described was probably an outhouse associated with it.

Despite its name ('the summer shieling'), Airigh Shamhraidh appears on record as a permanent settlement in the early 16th century. The principal buildings described above probably belong to the first half of the 18th century, although the large kiln-barn is of earlier date. When the Kingairloch estate was acquired by James Forbes of Hutton Hall in 1800, the principal residence was established in a more accessible position at Corry, the site of the present Kingairloch House, and the older mansion became a subsidiary farm.

Visited June 1971

RCAHMS 1980

Five unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building of three compartments, one roofed building and one enclosure are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire 1875, sheet lvi). Five unroofed buildings, one of which has three compartments, and one enclosure are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1974).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 19 May 1998