Monument record MHG23079 - Balnacarn

NH21SE 8 273 131

A township, comprising six roofed buildings one of which is a farmsteading, one partially roofed building, two unroofed buildings, one unroofed strucuture of two compartments which may be a building and two enclosures is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet lxvii). Four roofed, five unroofed buildings and four enclosures are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1974).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 23 May 1996.

The farmsteading at Balnacarn has been extensively remodelled. Four large pitch roofed agricultural buildings/stores stand on the site. To the W of the township, a small building sits at the SE corner of a ruined enclosure. It is much altered, with a corrugated tin roof. Photograph taken on a site visit by Ken McCorquodale, Highland Council.<1>

The farmstead and associated features were photographed in March and May 2011 prior to construction work for a new hydro scheme. A watching brief was then conducted during site clearance works. Prior desk-based assessment had demonstrated clear differences between the buildings as surveyed in 1871 and those visible today. The present farm steading appears to stand on a different alignment, apart from the silage pit to the east of the present buildings which seems to have been constructed from the remains of a formerly roofed building. The dam and mill lade visible in 2011 are not depicted on the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and are probably later (see MHG54963).
The surviving steading buildings were observed to be in very poor condition with parts of the roof in danger of collapse. There was no evidence for the northern building shown in 1871 suggesting comprehensive remodelling of the site. Blocked windows and doorways in the buildings show adaptations since they were built, presumably for farm machinery. The west range has been added onto a previously L-shaped structure and the space between roofed over. <2><3>

The concrete area found adjacent to the eastern end of the steading was not removed so it was not possible to establish whether the remains of any earlier buildings are present on the site. <4>