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Farm Buildings and Agricultural Settlement
Nucleation and dispersal
Agricultural Economy
Buildings for livestock
Buildings for grain and fodder
Buildings for land working
main image Byre, Glenyerrock, Kelton, Kirkcudbrightshire
A byre is a cattle house with stalls. The stalls were used as a place to milk cows throughout the year and to house them throughout the day in winter.

In some non-dairying areas, such as north-east Scotland, byres are also used as winter housing for beef cattle. The right-hand end of the building houses a dairy, for processing milk into butter or cheese.

The use of whitewash – originally lime-based – gives a clean finish and is common in the south-west of Scotland. Slate is the usual roofing material.


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