Derbyshire: Cottage, Toab

Single storey, 3-bay rectangular-plan farm cottage/bothy with single storey rectangular-plan store/byre at right angles to SW forming L-plan group; small single storey store sited to E of main group. Roughly coursed squared rubble; stone eaves course; windows set close under eaves.BOTHY: N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: boarded door in bay to centre. Window in each bay flanking. S (REAR) ELEVATION: blank.Windows missing. Fine needled roof with turf covering (see Notes); individual anchor stones at eaves; harl-pointed rubble, corniced gablehead stack to W.INTERIOR: large fireplace to W end with massive stone lintel; storage niche to right; wall press with timber shelves intact set to right in E gable; timber-framed roof with exposed tie beams; twisted straw simmons visible and largely intact to upper reaches of E end.BYRE/STORE: N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: large, boarded sliding door with gablehead window above. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: boarded door set to right of centre.S (REAR) ELEVATION: centred, gablehead window.Fixed 4-pane timber-framed windows (broken). Corrugated-iron roof.INTERIOR: not seen, 1998.STORE: S (GABLED) ELEVATION: centred boarded door. N(GABLED) ELEVATION: blank. Turf roof with individual anchor stones.

The Bothy displays one of the best surviving examples of the traditional Orkney roofing technique. The New Statistical Account notes, '..it may be remarked that the mode of thatching in these islands is different from that adopted in the southern parts of Scotland.', followed by a detailed explanation. The straw or heath simmons which survive at Derby are thick, hand-twisted ropes which have been passed over the joists from eave to eave, packed tightly together to form a bed on which to spread loose straw. A further layer of simmons is laid over this and then covered with more straw or turf to provide a weather-proof roof. Oliphant also mentions, 'the outer or last row of simmons is weighted down by having long and heavy flagstones [bendlin-stanes] placed in the folds of the ropes immediately above the eaves. These flags prevent the thatch from being carried away by the wind'. Paul and Alison Newman note not only the unique nature of the roofing techniques, but also, being largely composed of organic elements, their increasing rarity. (Historic Scotland)

July 2004: External inspection reveals the farm to be vacant and derelict. The thatch in particular is deteriorating. May 2005: Local planners report that the barn roof has now deteriorated substantially.

September 2008: Orkney Council forward new images of the building and advise the condition has deteriorated.

August 2009: Limited external inspection possible, but the roof has visibly collapsed further since SCT‘s visit in 2004.

12 September 2013: External inspection finds the thatched roof has almost completely collapsed and the gables are leaning outwards.

5 March 2024: Desk-based assessment suggests building remains At-Risk.