Monument record MHG55118 - Byre (Building C2), Balmacqueen

Located to W of Site C1, are the turf-covered remains of a subrectangular double-faced, drystone building attached to W wall of C1; a later subcircular drystone pen or bothy (Site C3) was built into the N half of this structure. The N half of the E wall was formed by Site C1 and S half of the E wall continues into the S wall, partially revetted into the hillslope. The overall external length is 8.2m N-S by 5.2m wide over walls 1-1.1m wide and it measures 7.2m long internally. A secondary skin of walling 0.5m wide was built against the outside of the W wall. The W and N walls are completely freestanding, and the N half is best preserved, being rebuilt in a second phase, standing up to 1.45m high. The S wall stands up to 1.3m at full height - at 0.7m high there is a 'ledge' in this wall, which may have supported a roof or may have been the wall head in the primary structure. There is a possible primary entrance 0.8m wide to the east side of the N wall, which has been blocked up inside the structure to fill the gap between Site C1 and Site C3. The NW corner of the building is slightly rounded. The fact that the ruins were full of nettles, in contrast to the adjacent sites, may suggest that this structure was a byre or pen. <1>