© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Thom's Water Cuts is an aqueduct and dam system located on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, stretching between Little Barone and Kirk Dam. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM7112, reflecting its significance to the island's industrial heritage.
The structure was constructed to convey water across the landscape, utilising the local topography to manage flow and supply. The underlying bedrock of Southern Highland Group psammite and pelite, formed during the Middle Cambrian period, provides the geological foundation for the site. This metamorphic basement of alternating sandstone-like and mudstone-like rocks would have presented both opportunities and constraints for the engineers who designed the water management system.
The aqueduct and dam represent the kind of practical infrastructure that supported industrial, agricultural or domestic activity on Bute during the post-medieval period. The system's survival demonstrates the durability of such engineering works when constructed with regard to local geology and landscape conditions. Together, the cut and dam form a unified monument illustrating the historic control and direction of water resources across the island.
Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct and dam, Little Barone to Kirk Dam is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7112. View the official record →
Thom's Water Cuts is an aqueduct and dam system located on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, stretching between Little Barone and Kirk Dam. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7112.
Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct and dam, Little Barone to Kirk Dam is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM7112.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Barone Hill,fort (1.4 km), Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct from W of Kerrycrusach to N of Kerrycroy (2.5 km), Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct, Cnocnicoll Wood (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct and dam, Little Barone to Kirk Dam's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Thom's Water Cuts, aqueduct and dam, Little Barone to Kirk Dam stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.