Tondergie Steading, Whithorn

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Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved. © Copyright and database right 2024.

General Details and Location

Category
AT RISK
Name of Building
Tondergie Steading
Other Name(s)
Address
Whithorn
Locality
Postcode
Planning Authority
Divisional Area
Reference No
5825
Listing Category
A
OS Grid Ref
NX 44205 35389
Location Type
Rural
HS Reference No
19249

Description

Planned farm steading with 4 ranges of buildings laid out around a central square courtyard, the steading is remarkable for the presence of an almost complete horse-powered threshing machine. STEADING: single storey and loft buildings, rubble walling with polished red sandstone margins and quoins to main E front. Ranges to S and W roofless and walls becoming derelict. Circular horse engine house to NE adjoining threshing barn. E RANGE: symmetrical 7-bay show front. Taller advanced centre bay has near flat-arch pend to ground with red sandstone voussoirs. Above this a pyramid roofed dovecot with round-arched opening to E. The outer bays have rubble voussoired, depressed-arch cart entrances, 2 windows to inner bays, sash and case with 12-pane glazing. 2 door lead from pend to stables, that to right for working horses, that to left with 3 stalls for carriage horses, a curved and shaped timber-lined roof and hay chute trapdoor. Next to the carriage horse stable is a harness room with small fireplace. Hay loft runs whole length of E range. N RANGE: most of this range is occupied by the taller 2-storey threshing barn with straw house to W. The E portion of the range has a small byre or store. Projecting from the N face of this range is a circular horse engine house, rubble-built and with most of its original openings blocked in rubble. Conical slate roofs. Internally the upright shaft with harness shafts have been removed but the gear train and drive shaft are in place. The drive shaft connects to a virtually complete roller feed threshing machine, only the fanner unit is missing. The straw house is located to the W and the ground floor access from it to the threshing barn has been recently (1988) blocked in breeze block. S AND W RANGES: formerly byres, probably loose byres. Roofless but mainly complete to wallhead. Single storey, depressed-arch openings, that to W range was originally another pend, blocked by 1894. Footings of a drystone dyke enclosing the S part of the courtyard (presumably as a cattle court) can be seen.

Tonderghie preserves many interesting agricultural features. The horse powered threshing machine is one of the most complete examples in Scotland. Located a few hundred metres to the NE are the remains of a hand threshing barn (not included in current listings) with characteristic wide opposing doors, triangular ventilators and raised stack yard, probably part of the 18 century predecessor to the improved Tonderghie steading. (Historic Scotland)
Building Dates
Architects

Category of Risk and Development History

Condition
Very Poor
Category of Risk
High
Exemptions to State of Risk
Field Visits
12/3/2014
Development History
12 March 2014: External inspection finds the complex overall in poor condition with roofs that are deteriorating rapidly or are missing entirely. The steading appears to be disused and heavy weed growths have established themselves within the courtyard. Timber elements are decayed, blocked up or missing.

Guides to Development

Conservation Area
Planning Authority Contact
PAC Telephone Number
01387 260199

Availability

Current Availability
Unknown
Appointed Agents
Price
Occupancy
Vacant
Occupancy Type
N/A
Present/Former Uses
Name of Owners
Unverified see FAQ on ascertaining ownership
Type of Ownership
Unknown

Information Services

Additional Contacts/Information Source
Bibliography
Online Resources
Classification
Farming
Original Entry Date
14-OCT-14
Date of Last Edit
16/03/2015