Geograph - photograph every grid square

By the year 1876 The Duke of Sutherland had decided to create 2000 acres of new farmland around the north side of Loch Shin, he did this by using the James Fowler Steam Tractors. These tractors worked side on to each other, he would have one set up at the bottom of the ground that was to be ploughed and the other one set up 400 hundred yards away, in between was the plough attached by winch cable which was then dragged up and down to plough the ground moving the ploughs every so often to cover new ground. He had twelve such engines in action on the side of Loch Shin and thus created the present day farmland some of which later after the First World War was turned into croft land. The Duke had this luncheon hut built to accommodate his own needs, as an observation post to watch the ploughing and also a place to entertain his many visiting guests that were interested in developing their own poor, unworkable ground that had been reclaimed mostly due to the Highland clearances. It was a fairly good success as firstly created a lot of work for people clearing the stone from the now newly ploughed ground. The stone was used to build new roads and to build the newly required farm houses and worker's houses. The new ground then had lime spread on it to improve it, which came from the village of Brora by train to Lairg station. Brora also had its own Brick making factory to help with the building plus it was producing 80,000 drainage tiles and shipping them along with coal for the steam traction engines to the new farmland in and around Lairg. Along with the coal they also cut around 2000 tons of peat locally to help keep the Steam Engines fired up for the year. By the year 1883 they had so many workers in the area that The Duke had a corrugated tin Church built for the workers at Achnairn. He then decided to turn his Luncheon Hut over to the missionary preachers so that they had somewhere to stay. After the war there was a poor unfortunate man who had nothing to his name and nowhere to live and so was given the use of the hut as a home and helped out working in the area until his death. This is the history of this hut to the very best of my research, if however, any one can add to or detract from this document then please do get in touch.