Farm Cottages, Cleat, Westray

Farm Cottages, Cleat, Westray

This complex comprises a possibly early 18th-century doocot, early 19th-century farm workers' cottages, a courtyard-plan steading, and ancillary structures. The buildings are constructed of rubble flagstone walls with harling remaining in places.

The Doocot

The doocot, located at the western end of the complex, features a central doorway on its south elevation. Above this runs a continuous flight ledge, with two rectangular openings above it. The right opening retains remains of two arched flight holes. A projecting eaves cornice tops the south elevation. The west elevation is plain with crowsteps. A small opening was inserted into the north elevation ground floor to the left, now blocked up. The doocot is attached to an adjacent garage to the east and is missing its slate roof. Stone partitions for nest boxes remain inside. An opening in the rear suggests later re-use of the building, possibly to house other farm animals.

The Farm Workers' Cottages

A long range of four to five single-storey cottages faces south, terminating the doocot to the west. A large inserted opening to the right of the doocot serves as a garage. The rightmost four-bay cottage displays a window, door, window, door fenestration arrangement. To its right stands a rendered, renovated cottage with a door to the left flanked by a window, followed by a door to the right with flanking windows and an opening to the far right. The next cottage features a central door to its left section and a window to the right. The adjacent cottage has doors to the right and far right with an inserted sliding door at the centre of the right section. A terminating three-bay cottage stands at the far right; its fenestration was not observed. A plain gable wall rises to the east, and the rear of the range was not seen.

The cottages are pitched-roofed, with stone slate covering all except the renovated cottage, which has modern slate, and the eastern end cottage, which has corrugated asbestos. A right gable end stack stump marks the garage; the renovated cottage has a ridge and right gable end stack; the next cottage has a ridge stack; and the far right cottage has gable end stacks. Flat skews occur between cottages, with five flat skews to the cottage to the right of the garage. A low rubble wall runs in front of the eastern cottage.

The Courtyard-Plan Steading

A symmetrical five-bay building on the west of the yard entrance possibly served as a stable or byre. Its south elevation shows a door flanked by windows, with a window (former door) to the right and another window to the far right. A blocked window appears in the east gable wall, with a muck drainage hole to its right. The west gable wall contains a central attic window. The rear elevation was not seen. The building has a pitched, stone slate roof with crowstepped gables and five flat skews. A linear animal shed range stands to the rear, with a window (former door) and door to its west elevation. This rear range has a pitched, stone slate roof with crowstepped gables and a north gable end stack.

To the east of the yard entrance stands a single-storey former stable or byre with a plain west elevation and three windows to its south elevation. Large inserted doors occupy the east gable, with a door to the north elevation and a later attached shed. The building has crowstepped gables and a pitched, stone slate roof.

A linear range to the north features a blocked south gable end loft window. Its left section, facing east, shows three windows and a muck drainage hole; the right section displays four windows and a single loft window. A forestair to the far right leads to an adjoining narrow shed, with a doorway below. A later low shed addition obscures the west elevation of this range. The range exhibits crowstepped gables and skews, with a stone slate roof to the south section and corrugated asbestos to the north.

The north range of the yard has large sliding doors to its east gable and a central window (former door) in its south elevation. It is pitched-roofed with modern corrugated sheet covering. A piended addition to the west also has modern corrugated sheet. An advanced shed to the west features a door to the left, a stone slate roof, and piending to the west with pitched roofing to the east.

Ancillary Structures

A small field to the northwest of the doocot is bounded by flagstone rubble walls. A lean-to potato shed stands against the north wall, with a central door and flanking windows. Stone platforms for haystacks are present in the field.