Balimeanach Farm

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

Balimeanach is a small cottage and outbuildings for a sheep farm connected to the Ardvorlich Estate. A good example of a small 19th century informal farm in substantially original condition. It consists of the S-facing rubble cottage, 1-1½ storey and a pair of outbuildings to the NE forming a small courtyard.

Balimeanach probably dates to the early 19th century. It is likely that it at first consisted of a simple single-storey longhouse, with perhaps only the E range of outbuildings, the latter built on a slope, of rubble with three single doorways and a series of vents along the eaves. The roof is of slate. Later in the 19th century the farm was extended. The cottage at this stage probably assumed its present form, with the W half raised to form a dormer storey. The cottage remains as altered at that time. The W half has the single door and piended dormers, the E a single window and a bipartite. The cottage is largely unlit to the N, with only 2 small windows.

At this stage too, in line with large improvements at Ardvorlich Farm, a second outbuilding was constructed. This single (W) range is also built on a slope. It is slightly more formal than the E range in its use of rubble to form a depressed arch cart entrance, but otherwise has just single doors and slit vents to both the E and the W elevations.

Interior: access to the interior of the cottage was not obtained during the course of the 2005 survey.

Materials: local rubble walls. Graded grey slate roofs to cottage, and E outbuilding, corrugated asbestos to W outbuilding. Stone gable stacks to cottage, clay cans. Timber sash and case lying-pane windows. Glazed boarded door to cottage, boarded doors to outbuildings. Cobbled surface in front of E range.