Taigh Bainne, Eriskay Bothy, Outer Hebrides House, Western Isles Home, Scottish Highlands Architecture Photos
Taigh Bainne on Eriskay, the Outer Hebrides
25 February 2022
Architects: BARD
Location: Eriskay, Western Isles, north west Scotland

Photos: Alexander James-Aylin
Taigh Bainne, Scotland
Taigh Bainne
The bothy ruin sits atop an elevated plateau overlooking the Prince?s beach, located some metres below a lay-by on the main road towards the Eriskay ? Barra ferry slipway. It was here that, on 23rd July 1745, the young pretender Charles Edward Stuart made first landfall in Scotland, prior to the second Jacobite uprisings.
BARD have been commissioned to construct a house on the croft. There is a small valley between the main house and bothy structure, and there will be a visual connection between main house and its satellite.
The existing structure is in a ruinous state. It was formerly a dual cell building, built of dry stone construction. There is evidence of varying adaptations of alterations to the stonework over time ? such as the juxtaposition of rounded field stones as well as honed stones. A concrete capping has also been applied, presumably to accommodate a new roof structure at some point.
BARD’s proposal will make minor alterations to the stone walls, by making a cut in the south-western corner of the building ? where there has been evidence of partial collapse. We propose to use this corner to open up the vistas out of the building. Extracted stone wi...