Houlland, Unst

Houlland in Unst is a later 19th-century quadrangular steading complex. It features a principal single storey and loft range oriented east-west to the north, overlooking a long rectangular courtyard to the south, which is enclosed by a rubble wall. The complex is bounded on the south and west sides by continuous lean-to ranges. The walls are made of harl-pointed rubble with stugged sandstone dressings and details.

The principal range has an asymmetrical seven-bay north elevation, featuring a centrally located vertically-boarded timber door at ground level. Above this door, there is a vertically-boarded timber loft door that breaks the eaves in a slate-hung piend-roofed dormerhead. Flanking the central door are three-pane timber fixed-lights in the adjacent bays. To the right, there is a vertically-boarded timber door in the penultimate bay and another three-pane timber fixed-light in the outer right bay. A small flat-roofed office is located to the outer right of this elevation. The penultimate bay and the outer bay to the left are blank. On the east gable, there is a vertically-boarded timber sliding door to the left and a four-pane timber fixed-light to the right. The south elevation, facing the courtyard, has a roof that oversails the south wall to low eaves, supported by regularly spaced timber columns on square stone bases.

The courtyard features a continuous lean-to range on the north side of the south wall, with the west end now enlarged. There is a vertically-boarded sliding timber door to the left of the entrance gate to the courtyard, which breaks the south range near the east end. The southeast corner has a pavilion-like end of the range with a narrow window and a vertically-boarded timber door on the south elevation, as well as a rubble-infilled blind window on the east elevation. The wallhead of the south wall rises to meet the higher west wall.

The roofs of the principal range and the lean-to ranges are covered with purple-grey slate. The complex features stugged sandstone ashlar and concrete skew-copes and wallhead copes, along with a stugged sandstone stack on the east gable of the principal range, which has a stone cope and a circular can.

Additionally, there is a random rubble retaining wall to the east, which returns at the north and is terminated by a rubble gatepier with a gabletted ashlar cap.