CULACHY SHEEP WASH PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY
Introduction
A detailed archaeological photographic record of a sheep wash was carried out by Northlight
Heritage (YAT) on behalf of Scottish & Southern Energy in an area adjacent to the site of a
proposed borrow pit, south of Knollbuck, Culachy Estate, Fort Augustus. The work was
undertaken by Edouard Masson-MacLean on 5th May 2011.
Methodology
The photographic survey was carried out using a Panasonic LumixDMC-ZS7 digital camera with an
image resolution of 12M pixels.
Figure 1 shows the location and direction of the more detailed structural photographs, while
Figure 2 shows the location from which the photographs of the sheep wash in its general setting
were taken.
Location
The sheep wash (NH 3667 0506) is situated adjacent to a NE-SW orientated track and is
approximately 400 metres south of the now disused Knollbuck settlement. The structure is located
at the base of a hill slope with the nearest watercourses being approximately 200m to the north
and 100m to the west.
Chronology
From cartographic sources the sheep wash appears to have originated in the twentieth century. It
is not visible on the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) 1:10,560 series map of Inverness-shire and
Skye published in 1873, nor on the first revision map from the same series published in 1904,
suggesting it's construction post dates the production of these maps. Although not entirely clear, a
small structure is noted at the location of the sheep wash on the third edition of the one-inch-tothe-mile OS series, sheet 73, Fort Augustus, published in 1908 and the OS one-inch "Popular"
edition of Scotland, sheet 42, Fort Augustus, published in 1928. This suggests that at least some
form of sheep wash was present at this location in the first decade of the twentieth century. It is
clearly defined on later maps of the area, for example, the 1971 1:10,000 OS map.
Description
The sheep wash is oriented NE-SW and measures c 30 m by 22 m. It comprises a main enclosure
to the west, a secondary enclosure to the east, a boiler complex in the west corner of the
secondary enclosure and a sheep pen at the southern extremity of the sheep wash.
The main enclosure measures 30 m by 11 m, the entrance being in the centre of the SE wall
(photos 16-17). The drystone walls have inner and outer faces, the outer face having been lined
with a cement render. The walls are approximately 0.6 m thick and are partially collapsed but
remain upstanding to a maximum height of 1.8 m in places (photos 8-11). The NW wall has 10
pillar-like features regularly spaced out at 2 m intervals (photos 23-28). Between theses pillars the
wall does not exceed 1 m in height and is possibly coped with horizontal stones. A square-shaped
hole in one of the pillars at the south end of the wall may indicate some internal division (photo
24). It is also possible this enclosure was roofed, remains of which may be represented by timber
and panels of sheet iron lying on the ground inside the enclosure (photo 22). The pillars would
presumably have served to support the roof.
An internal feature is visible at the base of the NE and SE walls (photos 12-15 & 17-18). This
feature, approximately 1 m wide, is built of concrete on its longer side with the extremities being
built of stone. This container-like feature is filled with rubble from sections of the collapsed walls
and is also partially covered with turf. The function of this internal feature is unclear but may have
been used to contain fodder, or as a corridor leading to the sheep dip.
A passageway in the SE wall leads to the sheep pen (photo 19). This passageway, oriented NW-SE,
is concrete built and represents the bath of a sheep dip with the exit ramp being located in the
sheep pen at its SE extremity (photo 32). It is approximately 0.5 m deep. Sheep dipping is also
attested by the presence of a boiler complex located adjacent to the sheep dip on its NE side
(photos 33-38). This complex is composed of a brick and concrete boiler (with an iron basin-like
container on the top), a semi-circular structure built with stones, mortar and lined with concrete,
and a rectangular structure built of the same material.
At the southern end of the sheep wash is a concrete sheep pen with an internal division (photos
17, 20-21, 30-31 & 33;). It measures 8 m by 8 m and is adjacent to the boiler complex and the
main enclosure. There is an opening in SW wall. The pen encloses the sheep dip. It is likely that
the sheep pen is a dripping pen where the sheep would stand after being dipped. The opening in
the SW wall is, therefore, most likely an exit. This being the case, the sheep would have entered
the pen from the main enclosure through the sheep dip.
A secondary enclosure to the east completes the sheep wash. It measures 21 m x 12 m and is built
with single-faced drystone walling (photos 6-7 & 39-42). The walls are approximately 1 m in height
and 0.5 m thick with the inner face being lined with cement. There are two entrances, one in the
SW wall and one in the NE wall.
The remains of a drystone wall also lie W of the sheep wash (photo 29) along with two possible
earth banks to the NE (photo 5).
Conclusion
The overall condition of the sheep wash is fair to good and there is no evidence of major repairs.
Although initially the concrete pen appears to be a later addition, suggesting different phases in
the construction of the sheep wash, the linear internal concrete features at the base of the SE and
NE walls may have been built at the same time as the stone walls, as the stopped-ends of these
features are built of stone. It is also possible that at least some of the concrete features are not
later improvements or additions but were built during the main construction phase of the sheep
wash and reflect a deliberate choice of varied building materials for the different areas of the
sheep wash.
6
8
7
9
25
16
10 11
41
26
14
27
40
15
17
37
13
12 38
42
18
39
34‐36
22
32
19
28
21
33
24
23
20
29
31
30
Legend
N
DryStoneWalls(collapsed&upstanding)
Stone,Mortar&ConcreteWalls
Brick&ConcreteDipBoiler
0
2m
27
PhotographNumberanddirec�ontaken
Figure1:CulachySheepwash,SketchPlan(toscale)showingloca�on&direc�onofphotographs
Location of photographs of Culachy Sheep Wash