Muckle House Crofthouse, Rackwick, Hoy

Muckle House is a mid-19th century, single-storey, roughly rectangular-plan, crofthouse with late-20th century alterations. Adjoining the east gable is a lower former byre. The walls are built of flagstone rubble and have gable end walls and the roof is turf covered flagstone. To the north and at right angles is a detached, single-storey, three-bay cottage, built between 1880 and 1900. The buildings are on falling ground and located close to the shore at Rackwick Bay on the island of Hoy. The group of buildings, and the area, has a close historical association with the composer Peter Maxwell Davies and the author George Mackay Brown.

The crofthouse has a projecting rubble porch to the south elevation. The window openings have been enlarged and have replacement single-pane timber frames. There is a very small window in the west gable. The lower byre section to the right has a timber door and one window. There are no openings in the rear (north) elevation.

There is a ridge chimneystack and a small chimneystack on the west gable of the crofthouse. The south and west elevations are whitewashed. There is a small later 20th century timber frame addition with a corrugated tin roof to the east gable.

The interior of the crofthouse and former byre, seen in 2017, consists of four rooms in a linear arrangement. The two 'but and ben' rooms of the crofthouse are the living room, at the west end, and the kitchen. The living room has wall recesses and a box bed. The box has carved scroll timber panels and has been fitted to the slope of the roof. The two rooms in the former byre are bedrooms.

The east elevation of the detached cottage has a timber door flanked by 12-pane timber sash and case windows. There are coped rubble chimneystacks on both gables. It has a corrugated cement roof covering. The interior of the cottage has not been seen.