Ness Free Manse (Former), South Dell

1847 datestone also initialled "FCM". 2-storey 3-bay house. Harled; window margins and cills imported ashlar. Centre bay advanced and gabled, door in re-entrant angle; sash windows with 12-pane glazing, slate roof. Skews, gable-head stacks. Gabled rear wing is roofless. (Historic Scotland)
The Object Name Book (OS) describes the building is 'A neat stone house, two stories high, slated and in good repair and occupied by the officiating Minister of Ness Free Church. There is no glebe land attached to it, there is a small portion of arable land attached which is enclosed by a good post fence'. Name Book 1853 (RCAHMS)

July 1993: External inspection reveals the house to be empty, boarded-up, and deteriorating. August 2000: External inspection reveals no change.

January 2009: External inspection finds large areas of missing roof slates over the entrance, skews are also breaking up. The glass window glazings are broken, and the frames are loose. Some windows are boarded over, in other places the internal shutters are exposed to the elements. The building is suffering water ingress which will be accelerating deterioration of the structure. The rear wing is ruinous.

March 2010: External inspection finds the imposing building is approaching ruination.

13 June 2015: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously - subject to slow decay. The rear wing is ruinous.

10 July 2023: A member of the Public notes that on visiting the property (6 July 2023) the condition of the property has had little change since last inspection, there is one window to the rear of the building which is not boarded up.