Monument record MHG12104 - Calda House

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred NC 2438 2334 (20m by 20m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet NC22SW
Geographical Area SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish ASSYNT
Old County SUTHERLAND

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

NC22SW 3 2436 2334.
Calda House (NR) (remains of) OS 6"map, (1967)

Named 'Calda House'
J Home 1774-5. <1>, <2>

Edderchalder, Calder of Calda House, known locally as the White House, is said to have been erected 1660 by 3rd Earl of Seaforth. It was an oblong block of two storeys and an attic, divided in two by a wall running down the centre, but it is now roofless and much ruined with side facing the loch having disappeared entirely. It is said to have been reduced to this state deliberately by fire in M18th century. RCAHMS 1911; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889; NSA (C Gordon) 1845. <3>-<5>

Calda House, which is no more than a shell, measures overall 16.5 m N-S by 13.5 m; otherwise it is as described above.
Visited by OS (G H P) 23 May 1962 and (J B) 12 August 1980.

The building was listed at Category B in 1979.

The building was Scheduled by Historic Scotland in 1996.

See PR78: Inchnadamph Project
JW 8/12/00

Letter received from Historic Scotland, 29/04/04.
See Assoc. Docs. File

Currently being repaired on behalf of Historic Assynt. Janet Hooper is the project arch and is recording the work - HAW 11/2004

Situated on the flat land between the road and Loch Assynt are the remains of Calda House. The structure is 17m by 13m and 7m high, and comprises a three storey mortared stone house, aligned N/S. There is a subdivision within the structure running N/S but not the whole way across the building. The W elevation and W end of the E elevation have collapsed. The collapsed E elevation lies on the ground where it collapsed, but the stone from the W elevation is missing. The building survives on both gable ends and was the first M-shaped gable house in NW Scotland. Holes for the roof joists are evident on the internal elevations as are a number of fireplaces. An area of collapse has made the chimney flue visible on the south elevations and there are a number of obvious replaced concrete and wooden lintels throughout. <6>

As part of the Historic Environment Scotland Dual Designation Project it was recommended in 2016 that the building would be de-listed although it would remain a Scheduled Monument. <7>

The building was de-listed by Historic Environment Scotland with effect from 09/08/2016. <8>

Sources/Archives (19)

  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Calda House.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Calda House.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Calda House. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Calda House. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Calda House. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Close-Brooks, J. 1986. Exploring Scotland's Heritage: The Highlands. 93, No. 39.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council Archaeology Unit. HCAU Slide Collection Sheet 5. Colour slide. . Digital (scanned). 97.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council Archaeology Unit. HCAU Slide Collection Sheet 11. Colour slide. . Digital (scanned). 222.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council Archaeology Unit. HCAU Slide Collection Sheet 12. Colour slide. . Digital (scanned). 228.
  • --- Text/Designation Notification/List of Buildings: Jackson, L.. 2016. Notification of the de-listing of Calda House and Unish. Historic Environment Scotland. 10/08/2016. Digital.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Country Life. Country Life May 6, 1949. May 6, 1949.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • <1> Text/Publication/Volume: Home, J. 1774-5. Survey of Assynt. plan 9.
  • <2> Text/Publication/Volume: Adam, R J. 1960. John Home's survey of Assynt. xi, xii-xiii, liii, lv, 22, 23, 27.
  • <3> Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 15, Sutherland, 111.
  • <4> Text/Publication/Volume: MacGibbon, D and Ross, T. 1887-92. The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries. Hardback. 631-4, Volume 3, 1889; fig. 586.
  • <5> Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 1, No. 3.
  • <6> Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Cavers, G & Hudson, G. 05/2010. Assynt's Hidden Lives: An archaeological survey of the the parish. AOC Archaeology Group and Historic Assynt. 01/08/2010. Digital. 142, p.134.
  • <7> Text/Designation Notification/List of Buildings: Jackson, L.. 2016. Assessment for Dual designations Project: Calda House. Historic Environment Scotland. 01/07/2016. Digital.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

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Related Events/Activities (1)

Record last edited

Oct 10 2017 12:05PM

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