Steading, Cornhill

The steading and farmhouse at Cornhill, circa 1871, were designed by William Leiper for Cornhill House, built by Alex Kay. Cornhill House was served by this Home Farm. This is one of two steadings known to have been designed by Leiper; the other is at Glendarvel House, Kilmodan, Argyll and Bute.

The farmhouse is a single-storey and attic structure built of random rubble with sandstone dressings. The elevation to the roadway is three-bayed, with each bay featuring an open-eaved gable. An entrance is located to the left of the centre bay. The left bay has a timber-mullioned and transomed canted bay on the ground floor, while the centre and right bays feature wooden, mullioned and transomed bipartites with relieving arches above and a cill course. All gables have bipartites with mullions and a cill course. A porch with a catslide roof is situated to the right.

The steading is a U-plan, single-storey and attic block that includes a horse engine house and a detached barn. It is constructed of random rubble with sandstone dressings and has irregular fenestration. The centre range of the steading is notable for its prominent skylights, while the inner faces of the side ranges have gablet ventilators. The threshing barn has a dormer hoist door under a slated gable on its outer face.

The horse engine house has a polygonal roof supported by stone piers with wide openings, and it abuts the threshing barn. The detached barn has a stone base with two tiers of slit ventilators, a vertically slatted wooden band below a piended roof, and is linked to the main range by later buildings.

All roofs are slated, with open eaves and prominent rafter ends. The buildings demonstrate stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops.