Steading, Ninewar

Ninewar is a house dating to the later 18th century, with subsequent additions and alterations. The main house is a two-story, three-bay rectangular building located to the southeast of a U-shaped courtyard, which includes an octagonal open horse mill to the northwest and a single-story auxiliary building to the west.

The house is constructed of whinstone rubble with dressed sandstone ashlar, while the steading is of whinstone rubble with stugged and some dressed ashlar details. The southeast elevation has three bays, with a later single-story addition to the center featuring a cornice and parapet. A boarded door is centrally positioned, with windows flanking it; a window is located at the first floor above. Windows are present on each story of the outer bays. The northwest elevation has a lean-to addition. A window is centrally located on the southwest elevation, and another to the right of center. A window is on the southwest elevation toward the first floor. The house has 12-pane timber sash and case windows and a slate roof. Brick wallhead stacks are situated to the southwest and northeast, and to the left of center. The interior was not inspected in 1995.

The steading is a single-story structure. The west range has a rounded corner to the southwest, with a two-leaf boarded gate leading to a covered cattle court. The north range has six bays grouped to the left, and a falling ground with two single-story bays to the left. There is a boarded door at first floor level, breaking the eaves, a ground-floor window in the penultimate bay to the left, a boarded door to the outer left, an eaves opening in the bay to the inner right, a boarded double door in the penultimate bay to the right, another eaves opening in the outer right bay, and a horse mill abutting the north range at the penultimate bay to the left. The horse mill is open, with whinstone and stugged ashlar dressed piers, a central timber shaft with associated gear, horse beams, and working parts. The north range’s west elevation is gabled with a boarded door at first floor level, an external stair with a triangular flight, and a hole opening at the gablehead. The south elevation has two opening cattle courts with a projecting wall with roof and troughs on each side, and a segmentally arched opening to each court. A window is at ground level to the right, a boarded opening at first floor above, and a split boarded door to the outer right. Inside the horse mill, the threshing machine remains in place to the outer right. The east range, east elevation, is blank. The east range’s west elevation has seven bays: an opening at first floor of the center bay, a split boarded door in the bay to the left, an opening at first floor of the penultimate bay to the left, a boarded door in the outer bay to the right, a slot window with a glazed vented opening at ground level of the bay to the right of center, a window at first floor of the penultimate bay to the right, and a door to the outer right. The ground floor of the two outer bays to the right contain a stable with timber hay hecks, trevises, tack gear, and sets to the floor.

The auxiliary building to the west is single storied with whinstone and ashlar dressings including sheds and a bothy. The steading has a slate roof with 2-pane skylights and metal vents; the auxiliary building has a brick stack to the north, and the horse mill has a radial slate roof.