Spinning Cottage, Melsetter, Hoy

Spinning Cottage, located in Melsetter on Hoy, is likely from the early 19th century and was remodeled between 1898 and 1900 by W R Lethaby. This single-storey cottage has a rectangular plan and was originally used for spinning. The exterior is harled with sandstone dressings and features irregularly placed openings. The principal (south) elevation has architraved openings, which are probably largely original and pre-1900, and coped gables with original vertical margins at the arrises.

On the south elevation, there is an entrance with a plank door on the far left, flanked by irregularly placed windows. The central section has two entrances, each with a plank door, and there are two small square windows on the outer right. To the outer left, a short stepped section of coursed rubble wall adjoins the cottage.

The northeast elevation features three widely spaced windows on the center/right and five closely spaced windows on the outer left. The east elevation has a central architraved entrance to the gable end, with an architraved window immediately above the lintel and transom. The west elevation is a blank gable end.

The cottage mainly has 12-pane timber sash and case windows and a stone slate roof. There is a square-plan gablehead stack on the west and two ridge stacks, one of which is tall, all made of coursed rubble with band courses.

Inside, the main room has a shallow segmentally-arched ceiling designed by Lethaby and features a large 'rustic' coursed rubble fireplace with a deep slab lintel and exposed flue. This fireplace is flanked by two small plaster plaques decorated with floral motifs, which are set back into the wall.