Melsetter Farmhouse, Hoy

Melsetter Farmhouse, dating to around 1905 and designed in the style of W R Lethaby, is a single storey and attic farmhouse with minor additions. It is arranged in an L-shape, consisting of a three-bay single storey and attic main block, and single storey wings extending to the west and north. The farmhouse features crowstepped gables and distinctive chimney stacks with deep rounded coping, tapering towards the apex above a band course. Built of coursed sandstone rubble, it incorporates ashlar dressings, stugged surrounds to openings, stugged quoins at arrises, and projecting cills to windows.

The south (principal) elevation presents a slightly projecting three-bay main block. Steps with flanking parapet walls lead to a central entrance, which is sheltered by a plain gabled stone canopy and a two-leaf boarded timber door. Windows flank the entrance, and a low, wide attic window is above to the left. A single storey wing adjoins the main block set back to the left; a later 20th century harled addition, almost flat-roofed and rectangular in plan, obscures the central section of this wing and provides an entrance to its return. Windows on this wing are set back.

The north elevation shows a single storey wing projecting to the left of the main block, with a central window and an entrance to its return. A low, wide attic window is set back to the left of centre. A small single storey lean-to is situated below and to the right, featuring two small windows. A later 20th century harled, flat-roofed rectangular addition adjoins the right, overlapping with the adjoining single storey wing.

The east elevation displays the gable end of the main block to the left, with a narrow ground floor window and an attic window above. A small rectangular outbuilding with a single pitch roof projects to the right, with an entrance and window to its return. A single storey wing adjoins to the right, featuring three irregularly disposed windows.

The west elevation displays the gable end of the single storey wing projecting to the left. A window is set back to the right of the attic of the main block, and a narrow ground floor window is below and to the right, partially obscured by a later 20th century extension to the wing.

The windows are mainly 12-pane timber sash and case, with 8-pane casements to the low, wide attic windows. The roof is covered in stone slates. Gablehead stacks are present on either side of the main block (the rounded coping is missing from the west stack), a tall gablehead stack is on the west wing, and all stacks have round cans.

The interior was not inspected in 2000.

A rubble boundary wall with rounded rubble coping encloses the rectangular front garden to the south of the house and the area immediately to the east. A wide gateway with rounded stone slab gateposts is situated to the east; similar gateposts are at the northeast corner, both featuring plain timber gates. Replacement square-plan gatepiers mark the western gateway.