Steading at Markwell (Marquel), Ulbster

This is a traditional three-bay, single-storey thatched crofthouse from the mid-19th century, located in Ulbster, a crofting hamlet on the Caithness coast. The crofthouse features white harled rubble walls with squared margins, four-pane timber sash and case windows, and a large casement window in a later porch addition. The rush thatched roof, which is heavily overgrown with vegetation as of 2023, is netted and weighted with long stone slabs, and it has end chimneystacks and dressed stone skew putts. The property is situated on raised ground to the west of the A99 road and is currently vacant.

To the east, there is a kailyard enclosed by drystone rubble boundary walls that extend north to a detached steading, which is positioned at right angles to the crofthouse. The steading is also single-storey and gabled, and while it was thatched at the time of listing in 1984, the roof has largely collapsed, leaving the building in a ruinous state. Some remnants of the timber roof structure and rush thatch are still visible in the central section. The steading comprises five compartments, with some remnants of entrance doors on the south elevation. The eastern compartment was a dwelling that included a fireplace, ambries, and a rear window. The central sections appear to have been used for storage, and the broad opening to the western compartment suggests it may have served as a cart shed.