Salen Cottage, Sailean, Lismore, Oban North and Lorn, Argyll and Bute

Description

Dating to around the mid-19th century, Salen Cottage is a single-storey former lime worker's cottage with a three-bay principal (southeast) elevation. The walls are constructed in local rubble with lime mortar bonding. Some roughly dressed quoins, windows and door margins are visible through remnants of a harled and painted finish. The main elevation has a near-central doorway with a stone threshold step leading to a double-leaf timber door. Either side of the entrance are single window openings.

The roof is pitched and has graded stone slates. There are gable end chimneystacks, each with a clay pot, plain stone capping and a thin stone or slate drip-check below. The windows to the principal elevation are timber sash, four pane window frames. The only other opening is a single window, boarded with wood, on the southwest gable, near the front corner.

The interior was only partly seen (in 2023). The internal layout appears to consist of a central inner-porch or hallway with one room to each side. The pitched ceiling and lack of rooflights, indicates there is no attic floor or rooms. The northeast gable wall has a cast iron stove in the fireplace with a plain timber fire surround and mantel.

Historical development

Salen Cottage is a former lime worker's cottage located within An Sailean lime works on the west coast of the island of Lismore. It is the most complete example of former workers' housing on the industrial site and the last to remain roofed. There are two other ruinous former workers' cottages, one immediately southwest of the cottage (originally built as an adjoining pair of farmstead cottages) and one on the quay. The former manager's house and office also survives, in a ruinous state, near the quay.

The extraction of limestone and burning to produce lime on Lismore may date back beyond the 19th century. The lime industry was active on the island in the 18th century, the Statistical Account of 1791 states 'burning of lime for sale has been begun… in Lismore and Appin'. The first documented kiln is dated in 1804 with the last in production in the 1930s.

An Sailean was located within the Baleveolan Estate and letters dating to the 1840s from Alan MacDougall, the estate factor, show that lime supply from Dugald McCorquodale, the estate lime burner, was erratic. It is unlikely a substantial lime works at An Sailean was established at this time as unreliable lime supplies and a single estate lime burner indicate very small-scale or ad-hoc production. Estate business letters from the 1850s show that John McIntyre was manager of the lime works and organised finance for the quay at An Sailean which was to serve two new kilns. Therefore, it appears An Sailean lime works, as an industrial scale site, was established around 1850. John McIntyre operated as an independent coal merchant, based at An Sailean lime works, his yard and store at the site served the entire island with fuel. Records from the Napier Commission of 1883 state that 12 to 16 quarrymen and lime burners were employed at An Sailean.

An Sailean lime works were the last to be in production on the island of Lismore. The lime works operated into the 1930s and there was an attempt to restart production during the Second World War. An article in The Scotsman on 18 November 1942 stated 'The limestone industry on the island of Lismore may be restarted as a wartime measure to provide lime for agriculture. Many years ago, the lime kilns were in operation on this island but the trade petered out owing largely to labour difficulties'. The lime works never reopened but it is likely Salen Cottage remained occupied further into the 20th century.

Statement of Interest

Taigh-còmhnaidh an t-Sàilein, An Sàilean, Lios Mòr / Salen Cottage, An Sailean, Lismore meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

• The building retains a significant amount of its 19th century traditional character and fabric and its structure, footprint and layout is relatively unaltered.

• The building is the best preserved and principal historic building, built for a domestic function, in a group of 19th century buildings and structures related to An Sailean lime works.

• The building forms an important part of a significant collection of historic industrial buildings.

• It contributes to the social history of the island because its former use as a lime worker's cottage remains readable in its current form and setting.

Architectural interest

Design

Salen Cottage's simple vernacular design and construction are typical of its 19th century date and are characterised by the approximately symmetrical principal elevation, with small window opening and a near-central doorway. The roofline is in intact without later dormers or rooflights. The window reveals show the thick stone walls. The walls are constructed of rubble masonry, the stones for which are likely to have been sourced from the surrounding area. There are roughly dressed quoins, door and window margins and lintels and sills. There is no known designer for the cottage however this is not unusual for small vernacular buildings of this date. It is built in good quality materials, which are likely to have been sourced from the area and is little altered.

The building's footprint appears the same as that shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map. The interiors of traditional cottages were often simple. Many of them have been refurbished and historic features no longer survive. Internally, Salen Cottage appears to have undergone minimal change in terms of layout. Some architectural design features remain such as the timber fireplace surround and mantel in the northern room.

The cottage is a relatively complete and largely unaltered survivor of a vernacular building in An Sailean. The building retains a significant amount of its 19th century character and fabric, such as the thick rubble and partly dressed stone walls and small windows.

Setting

The cottage is built on slightly terraced ground, raised at the front and cut-in at the rear, and is a prominent building in the An Sailean lime works complex. The main elevation is prominent when the site is approached from the tracks to the southwest and northeast. As the only remaining roofed building at An Sailean lime works, Salen Cottage enhances its visual impact within the site. Its close proximity to the lime kilns reflects its former use as a lime worker's cottage.

The setting is largely unaltered from the mid to late 19th century as there are no significant later developments. The building groups well with other adjacent buildings of a similar date and related function.

The style and design are typical for mid-19th century housing in the rural west of Scotland which is contemporary with the industrial establishment of An Sailean lime works. Salen Cottage provides a clear visual reminder and tangible link to the development of the 19th century Scottish lime production industry which by the mid-19th century provided for its workers.

The cottage was built by the end of a row of likely earlier structures that formed a farmstead. The adjacent farmstead was then converted into one larger house, probably to provide better quality accommodation for lime workers. Salen Cottage was likely purpose built for lime workers and is directly associated with the site's function and historical context.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

Salen Cottage likely dates from around the mid-19th century at a time when small, traditionally built rural cottages were commonplace. Although not a rare building type, surviving cottages associated with the lime industry and built specifically to house lime workers are now rare. Other surviving contemporary dwellings of this date in the lime works complex are in a ruinous condition - Salen Cottage is the only roofed and largely complete example at An Sailean. An Sailean lime works was the largest and last in operation on Lismore. The island was an important centre of lime production in Scotland, serving much of the west coast demand for the material.

Social historical interest

Salen Cottage is part of the social history of An Sailean and the island of Lismore.

An Sailean lime works is a very well-preserved example of an industrial scale lime production complex built from the mid-19th century and further developed during the boom period of this industry. The survival of various lime works buildings, of which Salen Cottage greatly contributes as the last roofed example, together is significant in contributing to our understanding of how the lime production site functioned. It is an exceptional tangible reminder of the historical development of one of Scotland's most important 19th century industries that helped develop agriculture and urbanisation.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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