Lochan Dubh

NH63SE 63 6740 3115.

There are two buildings situated to either side of a track at the back of a terrace to the W of the River Nairn, the largest (USN93 35) of which is shown as roofed on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, 1875, sheet xliii). This building (USN 35) measures 36m from NNW to SSE by 4.9m within mortared rubble walls 0.65m measuring in thickness and up to 2.5m in height. There are six compartments, one of which contains fireplaces, while another has slit windows and opposed entrances, and may have been a barn. The second building lies to the W, is dug into the slope, may have been open on the E, and was possibly a cart-shed. The two buildings are also shown as roofed on the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1904, sheet xxxi), with the addition of a further roofed building to the south, under the name of Glennairn.

(USN93 35)

Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 1 December 1992.

NH 6975 3495 (centre) An EDM survey was carried out with the assistance of Headland Archaeology of a proposed quarry site at Wester Lairgs. Three longhouse structures, ?corn-drying kilns, and over 100 clearance cairns were recorded. The clearance cairns may pre-date the settlement as they tended to be small circular cairns rather than the linear cairns more commonly found with sites of this type.

Report held by the NMRS and Highland SMR.

Sponsor: Pat Munro Ltd.

J Wordsworth 1999