Salmon House And Ramp, Main Steeet, Portsoy

Salmon House and Ramp, located on Main Street in Portsoy, was built in 1834. This tall, two-storey building with a dormerless attic features a five-bay rectangular design, situated on a sloping site with a basement entrance at the rear (northeast). The exterior is finished with modern harl over rubble. The long southwest front elevation includes a doorway accessed by a forestair on the left side, along with four regularly spaced windows. There are three chutes at the ground floor that lead to the ante-room and icehouses, each flanked by protective boulder 'cheeks' and fitted with iron hinges for former shutters. The northeast rear elevation also has a regular five-bay arrangement of windows on the first floor. A rear doorway is topped by a pointed-headed light and flanked by a similarly shaped window, both serving the ante-room (dead-room) and two adjoining icehouses. The fanlight and window feature multi-pane glazing.

A carved painted stone mural datestone is located between the rear door and window, depicting a salmon between the figures 18 and 34 within a plain raised border that has an angle fluted 'fan' motif. A former boiler house with a single pitch roof projects from the rear. Each gable has a small attic light, and the building has masonry end chimney stacks, a slate roof, and a sandstone ridge.

Inside, the upper room is accessed by the outer forestair and features a hearth at each end, along with a wooden internal stair leading to the attic. The rear entrance opens into a stone flagged ante-room, which connects to two inter-communicating high, brick-lined vaulted icehouses, each measuring approximately 6 meters by 5 meters and featuring cobbled floors. Each icehouse is served by a single mural chute, with a similar chute leading to the ante-chamber.

The ramp in front of the main southwest elevation is raised and turfed, supported by a drystone rubble retaining wall.