A remote crofthouse survives with its simple room plan, range and interior finishes largely untouched by modern services.
Quick facts
- Date
- Probably circa 1850–1870
- Architect / designer
- Unknown
- Type
- Unmodernised single-storey and attic crofthouse
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB52528)
- OS grid reference
- NH 61187 95350
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The three-bay rubble cottage sits in a sheltered hollow with its entrance facing downhill. A corrugated-iron roof, gable stacks and small sash windows enclose a lobby between parlour and kitchen, bedrooms above and store rooms beside the stair. Timber, flagstone, fireplaces, wallpaper and the cast-iron range survive with exceptional completeness.
Its story
The first-edition map shows the settlement in 1874, while the Inverness-made range and building form suggest construction around 1850–70. A newspaper left inside indicates occupation into about 1952. The house later served agricultural and bothy uses as neighbouring crofts declined.
Why it is included
Category B listing recognises an exceptionally rare unmodernised Highland crofthouse and the evidence it carries for domestic life, materials and changing rural settlement.
What to notice
- A hollow chosen to shelter the house from severe weather.
- Simple three-bay proportions under corrugated iron.
- The relationship with ruined buildings and enclosures in the wider crofting landscape.
Reading the surroundings
The remote structure is not presented as a visitor attraction. Do not enter, move objects or cross working land without explicit permission; prepare for rough ground and rapidly changing weather.
Timeline
- Circa 1850–1870 The crofter’s house was probably built during a period of relative prosperity.
- 1874 National mapping showed Ledsaurich as part of a wider settlement.
- Around 1952 Evidence inside suggests that domestic occupation ended near this date.
- 2019 The unusually complete survivor received statutory listing.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The exact construction date, first household and current condition cannot be fixed without further on-site and documentary research.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Lydsurach Crofthouse, LB52528 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Highland HER: Lydsurach Farmstead — Settlement mapping, later use and relationship between the roofed house and surrounding ruins.
Location
OS grid reference NH 61187 95350 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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