Farmsteading, Crumstane

Farmsteading, Crumstane

This is a later 18th-century farmsteading with later alterations and additions, arranged in a U-plan of single and two-storey buildings. The structures are built of harl-pointed whinstone and sandstone rubble with sandstone dressings.

The northwest range contains a mill wheel house, threshing barn, cartshed, granary and stable. Its northwest elevation is seven bays long, comprising a two-storey five-bay group to the left and a single-storey two-bay group to the right. A glazed and vented opening is present at first floor to the centre and also to the bay right of centre (granary), with a blank bay to the left of centre. A two-leaf boarded door at first floor breaks the eaves with a half-piended roof in the penultimate bay to the left (threshing barn). A lean-to addition extends to the outer left (wheel house), and a blank penultimate bay occurs to the right with a boarded door in the bay to the outer right. The southeast elevation contains ten bays: a three-bay single-storey group to the left; a four-bay two-storey cartshed and granary; and a three-bay two-storey threshing barn. A two-leaf boarded door stands at the centre of the three-bay group with windows to each flanking bay (the left a glazed and vented opening). Segmentally-arched openings with stop-chamfered arrises and two-leaf double boarded doors occur at ground level in the outer left of the group. The first floor of each bay (except the bay to the inner left) has four-pane upper and vented lower openings. Later buttresses have been added between the four-bay and three-bay groups and between bays in the three-bay group. A window at ground level and a timber louvered opening at first floor appear in the bay to the centre and to the left, with a split boarded door at ground level of the bay to the right and an opening at first floor above.

The interior contains a timber overshot mill wheel in place, and various bagging and threshing machines at ground floor of the threshing barn. A carved date of 1880 and initials (either AR or AB) appear on the threshold of the two-leaf boarded door breaking the eaves at first floor of the threshing barn. Timber trevises and a tacking post remain in place in the stable.

The northeast range is single storey, comprising three byres. Its northeast elevation is seven bays with two-leaf boarded doors at the centre and in the penultimate bay to the left, both with thresholds above ground level (steps now apparently removed). Partly blinded openings appear in the bay left of centre and in the bay to the outer left, with two blank bays to the right of centre and a boarded door in the bay to the outer right. Various additions extend to the southwest, with an open cattle court at the west end of the elevation having timber supports to a shelter, and another open cattle court to the east with a two-leaf boarded gate and pyramidal coped gatepiers, together with timber and cast-iron supports to shelter. A further shed to the southwest now serves as a machinery store.

The southwest range is single storey. Its southwest elevation is blank, while the northeast elevation contains eleven bays with a segmental-arched opening to the centre. A projection extends to the outer left, with segmental-arched openings in the penultimate bay to the left and in the third bay to the right. An opening appears to the left of centre, with glazed and vented openings in the bay to the outer right and every other bay of the five-bay group to the outer right. Boarded doors (two-leaf) stand in the penultimate bay to the right and in the fourth bay from the right. Open cattle courts flank the projection in the bay two left of centre, with a cantilevered roof sheltering the left court. The southeast elevation is gabled with a projection to the right, slightly set back. A segmental-arched opening with a boarded door and an opening in the gablehead appear here, with a boarded door to the projection. Square-section gatepiers stand to the outer right.

The roofing is slate throughout, except for corrugated iron to the projection two bays left of centre on the northeast elevation and timber to the addition to the right of the southwest elevation. The byres of the northeast range are half-slated to the southwest.

A mill lade and pond lie to the west of the steading.