Description

William Spence, 1830 and 1865 with substantial modern additions. 2-storey and 4-storey castellated mansion with tudor details. Painted ashlar with ashlar dressings for earlier house; 1865 additions ashlar. Base course, pedimented windows; hoodmoulds.

NE (MAIN) ELEVATION: 1830 house; 2-storey over raised basement, 5 bays symmetrically disposed. Slightly advanced 2-storey and attic crowstepped gabled ashlar entrance at centre, with 2-bay flanking bays. Steps up to tripartite arched porch entrance at centre ground, corbelled decorative shaped pediment, armorial plaque at centre; heavy 6-panelled door. Stugged, squared and snecked sandstone upper floors; bipartite window at 1st floor, hoodmould, corbelled attic storey, single window in attic gable, bartizans. Flanking symmetrical bays, ashlar panelled lintels with corbelled, jettied, pediments to dormerheads above, plaques at centre of gablehead; later dormer to left, rooflights to right. Tower at centre of building rising behind, castellated parapet and bartizans. Large, modern 3-storey wing adjoining at angle to left, ashlar base course, rendered upper floors, mirroring details of main block, crowstepped gable, pedimented dormerheads; 4-pane sash and case windows.

SW ELEVATION: 2-bay 1830s block to outer left, basement with door at centre, flanking windows; Palladian window at centre principal floor, flanking windows, 2 pedimented dormerheads symmetrically disposed, ashlar blocking course with raised pediment at centre, piended dormer at centre. 1865 4-bay block to right; corbelled string course above principal floor. Slightly advanced bartizaned gable with 3-stage balustraded bow (basement to 2nd floor) to left, bipartite baseket-arched window at basement, bipartite at attic stage, arrowslit in gablehead. Narrow bay recessed to right, square projecting window comprising basket-arched window at ground, bipartite above, decorative balustraded blocking course, bipartite above, bracketted pedimented dormerhead at attic. 4-stage tower bay at penultimate right, square projecting bay at ground, small basket-arched window at basement, tripartite window, balustraded blocking course; bipartite window above, window at 3rd floor with raised ashlar plaque on either side; string course dividing attic storey, 2 windows symmetrically disposed; corbelled shaped parapet, bartizan on corner. 5-stage tower to outer right, door at basement, blind bipartite above, window at each floor, ashlar plaue above3rd floor window, string course, window, corbelled caphouse storey, tripartite window; corbelled shaped parapet, corner bartizans. Modern 2-storey, L-plan ashlar wing to outer right, parapet with gables breaking eaves, terminating in octagonal glazed hall.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: rear of house largely obscured by substantial modern additions.

4-pane and plate glass timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof, lead flashings. Broad corbelled and corniced ashlar stacks, circular cans.

INTERIOR: well maintained surviving interior; heavy wood-panelled hall; decorative plasterwork ceilings, cornices throughout. Stained glass with 4 potrait heads above door leading to stairhall, heavy wooden stair with turned balusters. Decorative wooden fireplace, dado panelling, bookcases in library. Simple cupola with rope-moulding lighting stairwell of earlier house. Moulded architraves to doors.

TERRACE WALL: terrace wall to NE of house in front of main elevation. Bull-faced rubble base with ashlar parapet with gunloops, curved bastion wall at corners.

Statement of Interest

Cameron House was the home of Alexander Tobias Telford Smollett. It is now a luxury hotel. The lodges are listed separately.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17847563

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)