The Bothie

The Bothie is a house dating back to the 15th century, with significant alterations in the early 17th century and late 17th century. It began as a cruck-built open hall. The walls are primarily of sandstone rubble, with timber-framing and coursed sandstone dressings. The roof is covered in plain tiles, featuring a gablet at the north end and a parapet gable at the south end, with a ridge stack and two end stacks.

The original open hall, dating to the 15th century, is a single bay and has sandstone rubble walls. It originally had a single storey and an attic, now featuring two modern gable dormers. There are two casement windows to the front, one modern and one with three lights and splayed mullions. The rear wall also features two similar windows. A chimney stack has been inserted at the north end.

An early 17th-century crosswing was added to the south end. It is timber-framed, although the rear wall is of sandstone rubble, and comprises a single timber-framed bay. The crosswing is one storey with an attic, exhibiting exposed framing in a box frame construction, characterised by substantial scantling in large panels of two panels. Upward bracing runs from the main posts to the wall plate. The rear wall is of sandstone; a stairlight window is present, possibly within an original opening.

A late 17th-century parlour wing was added to the south side-wall of the crosswing, constructed of coursed and squared sandstone. It has a one-unit plan, a basement, and two storeys. The basement has a doorway and a casement with a splayed mullion.

Inside, the 15th-century open hall retains two raised cruck trusses, with blades linked by a yoke supporting a king-post and a square ridge piece. Original roof timbers showcase smoke blackening, though the common rafters have been replaced. The early 17th-century crosswing includes a roof with a clamped side purl and wind bracing. A floor and stack were inserted into the hall, likely when the crosswing was built. A stop-chamfered main-beam is present in the crosswing. The late 17th-century parlour wing features a bolection moulded fireplace on the ground floor and an inglenook hearth with bread ovens in the basement. The cruck blades are seated in the stone walls at a height of approximately 2 feet above the ground.