Howan, Egilsay

Late 17th century. 2-storey, 3-bay rectangular-plan traditional laird?s house forming part of S range of U-plan courtyard; roofless single storey service wings forming N and E ranges; W curtain wall to courtyard missing. Harled rubble flagstone. Crowstepped gables; contrasting sandstone quoins; chamfered reveals.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: central 2-storey lean-to porch and stairtower (roof missing); double width doorway and window at ground to left return; window at 1st floor above; windows to both floors in right return; 2 doorways at ground and 1st floor behind porch. Single windows irregularly disposed to both floors in flanking bays. 3-bay single storey wing adjoining to outer right; single window to each bay.

N (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: irregular size and disposition of windows to both floors in each of 3 bays; stump of curtain wall and arched gateway between bays to centre and outer right. Single storey wing adjoining to outer left; wall largely collapsed; central crowstepped gable now missing.

W ELEVATION: irregularly disposed windows at ground, 1st floor (blocked) and in gablehead.

E ELEVATION OF MAIN HOUSE: fireplace at ground (see interior below); raggles for flag slate roof; single window set in gablehead.

E RANGE OF COURTYARD: single storey drystone store.

N RANGE OF COURTYARD: roofless remains of gabled wing.

12-pane timber sash and case window to S ground floor outer right and N 1st floor, outer left. Flag slate roof; corniced gablehead stacks;

beaked skewputts; skewputt to NE initialled "WD MM" (William Douglas and wife Marjorie Monteith).

INTERIOR: largely derelict, but timber joists and floor to 1st floor remain. E doorway of S wall architraved with decorative carved lintol inscribed "16.AMICIS.ET.GENIO.81"; badly weathered stone fireplace with fluted jambs to W gable; rollmoulded stone fireplace to W gable of single storey wing (formerly bore the arms and initials of Robert Monteith and Katherine Nisbet, dated 1635).