Nunton Steadings was built some time after 1715. We believe the west wing was built last to join the stables and byre together to form a traditional-style steadings. There were also other structures in the vicinity: the large wall at the front of the site was part of an earlier building where young calves were kept; behind the main steadings are the remains of a circular stone building which was probably a barn; there were covers for carts in front of the east wall; and large water butts were located at each end of the stables and byre for collecting rainwater.
Inside the sabhal or barn, where the first tearoom now sits, is the remains of the thresher gear. This was a horse-powered machine, and the main shaft projects out of the west wall to where a large track used to be. This is where the horse would have been schackled to the gear and walked the circular track to drive the threshing equipment.
During its time, the steadings has been used not just for animals, but also for workers who stayed in a bothy under the bell tower. The tower was added around 1760 and was used to call the workers in from the fields. In the old byre, where the kitchen is now situated, the Lovat Scouts had a store at around the time of the First World War. The floor was made from cast iron but has long since gone.
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