Laidhay Croft Museum, Croft House

A traditional Caithness longhouse and barn standing on a croft which comprised sixteen acres of arable land and fifteen acres of rough grazing. It was worked as a croft until 1968 when the buildings were purchased by the Laidhay Preservation Trust to be restored as an excellent example of the traditional buildings of the area. While parts of the house may date back to the later 18th century, and it shows signs of long development, the complex in its present form is thought to date from around 1842. The stable and byre were probably additions to the nucleus which now forms the house and kitchen.

As seen today, the first element in the long building is the stable, its wooden partitions restored and now housing modern public toi lets. The next door leads into the main living area, divided up by box beds into the 'room' on the left, a small bedroom at the back, and the 'middle room', the general living area on the right. This once had four box beds ranged along the back wall. Through a stone wall is the kitchen and beyond that the dairy with its stone flagged floor. This is now separated from the byre by a wooden partition, but earlier the kitchen door led straight into the byre, the near end of which may have served as scullery or dairy. The old stone slabs which formed stalls in the byre have gone, but it has cobbled paving, a drain and a small 'shot-hole' in the south gable, covered by a timber shutter, for shovelling manure through onto the midden outside.

The walls are of stone bonded with mud mortar. The roof was formerly carried on small crucks, one pair of which survives in the kitchen, but the others have been replaced by dressed timbers. The roof is straw-thatched, bedded on heather divots and fastened down with wire netting weighted with anchor stones. All the rooms are furnished with a collection of appropriate plenishings and tools; there are churns, pails, butter pats, cheese press and cream scoop in the dairy.

Beyond the longhouse, and in line with it, is the remains of the cartshed and a small pig- and henhouse. Behind the house is the thatched barn with flagstone floor, now containing a collection of agricultural tools. Its roof is supported on crucks and rafters made of any wood to hand, including local birch branches and many re-used ship's timbers, including part of an oar. The barn originally had two doors opposite each other to assist winnowing.

Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Highlands’, (1995).

ND 17389 30555 Early to mid 19th century ‘croft house of long-house type’, currently in use as a museum, which according to the listing description was ‘established and furnished as Caithness Croft Museum circa 1976’. According to the listing, the building is thatched in rush. It has a continuous thatched ridge and the entire roof has been netted, including across the ridge. The netting is weighted along the eaves with long slabs of stone and concrete, which have been secured to the netting with string and wire. At the gables, the netting has been fixed into the gable wall with metal pegs, and stones have been hung from the netting in places for additional weighting. The building has two chimney stacks along the ridge, around the base of which has been placed tiles of what appears to be turf that is held in place by the netting. There is some minor weed growth on the surface of the thatch in places, but otherwise the roof is in a well-maintained condition.

Visited by Zoe Herbert (SPAB) 12 July 2015, survey no.118

ND 17421 30584 Part of a group listing with the longhouse, both forming the Laidhay Crofthouse Museum. The roofing material for the barn is not specified in the listing description, however, it would appear to be thatched in rush, in the same material as the longhouse. The thatch has a continuous thatched ridge, and the entire roof is netted. The netting is weighted along the eaves with with long slabs of stone, which have been secured to the netting by string and wire. At the gable ends the netting has been tied bwith string to metal pegs, which have been secured into the mortar joints. There are no chimney stacks or window openings on the building, only a door opening on each of the front and rear elevations. The building would appear to be used as storage for the museum.

Visited by Zoe Herbert (SPAB) 12 July 2015, survey no.119