Steading, Gardie House, Bressay

The steading at Gardie House in Bressay dates from the early to earlier 19th century and features a symmetrical U-plan layout. It consists of a central two-storey tower flanked by L-plan wings. The walls are harled with droved and polished ashlar dressings, and the principal elevation has margined openings.

On the west (principal) elevation, the two-stage tower is slightly advanced at the center. It has a segmental cart-arch leading to a flagged pend at ground level, and above it, there is a partially blind window for the maid's bedroom with an ogee cornice at the eaves of the pyramidal roof. The flanking wings contain vertically-boarded timber doors, with the left door being louvered.

The south elevation is asymmetrical with four bays. It features four-pane timber windows in the bays to the left of center and slit ventilators in the bays to the right. A rubble wall extends to the east, with the wallhead curving down to infill a gate at the junction with a drystone wall that extends south.

The east (rear) elevation opens into a courtyard with a variety of openings, and there is a slated rubble lean-to wall on the east side of the ranges.

The north elevation is also asymmetrical, comprising five bays. It includes a vertically-boarded timber door in the outer left bay, a louvered timber infill in the outer right bay, and slit ventilators of various sizes in the center bays.

The roof is a fish-scale slate pyramidal type with a weathercock at the apex of the tower. There are cement-rendered and lined wallhead stacks centered on the sides of the tower, coped with circular cans. The wings have piended stone slab roofs with cast-iron skylights, although part of the roofing was clad with corrugated sheeting in 1996.