Stables, Melsetter Farm, Hoy

This is a courtyard-plan steading dating to around 1900, located at Melsetter Farm on Hoy. The steading is composed of several ranges and detached buildings arrayed around a central courtyard. The ranges are built of loosely stugged sandstone with openings in sandstone.

The north range comprises a detached single-story shed, a single-story byre and former wash-house, and a separate section with a raised roofline. The south elevation of the north range has a former wash-house to the right, a door, and a window to the left flank. A series of windows and two doors are visible on the central byre section. The east elevation features a central window, a gable apex stack, a tapered coping above a band course, and circular cans. The north elevation has numerous ventilation holes to the byre and a blocked opening to the right. The asymmetrical gable end of the byre/stable has a central window. Timber boarded doors and some 16-pane windows are present, along with roof lights to the front and rear. Pitched roofs are covered in stone slates with ridge ventilation.

The west range contains a threshing barn and a byre/stable. The east elevation features a central door, a window to the left flank, and timber boarded doors to the ground floor of the threshing barn. A pedimented loft opening is located to the left, bearing a ‘1900’ datestone. The barn has a raised roof and a pitched roof covered in stone slates, alongside rooflights. The ridge ventilation is present to the right byre/stable.

The two-story south range incorporates a former granary, barn, cartshed, and bothy. On the north elevation, a window is positioned to the far right; a door to the left flank; a central door with flanking windows to the left; and six granary loft openings above. A large inserted doorway is visible for the former cartshed that has a timber sliding door with a window to its left. The east elevation features two inserted doorways to the gable, and a central 16-pane window to the former bothy on the first floor. On the south elevation, the ground level slopes down, making ground-floor openings appear at first-floor height. The former bothy occupies the far right, with a catslide dormer window to the left. Five ground floor windows and five symmetrically arranged granary loft openings are present on the barn. Asymmetrical gable end of the threshing barn has a central ground floor door and a central 16-pane first-floor window. Timber plank doors and timber loft shutters are used throughout. Pitched roofs are finished with ridge ventilation to the granary, and a ridge stack to the bothy, which also has tapered coping above a band course.

The detached stables to the east have a door to the far left and a large door opening to the right, with a sliding door. Plain gables characterise the south and north elevations, while the west elevation has two doors to the left and a 16-pane window to the right. Timber plank doors are used, and pitched stone slate roofs incorporate roof lights to the north and ridge ventilation. A ridge apex stack is present to the south, above a band course. A loft is situated above the stables, retaining some original timber stalls.

The single-story shed features four regularly spaced windows, with two central windows lowered below the glazing, all with 12-pane timber windows. The east elevation has an altered gable wall with corbelled skewputts and replacement sliding doors. The north elevation is plain, while the west elevation has a central door. The pitched roof is covered with stone slates and incorporates two roof lights to the rear, alongside a ridge flue.