Description

16th century tower house with 17th, 18th and 19th century additions including 1807 classical remodelling and 20th century work by Robert Lorimer. 2 and 3-storey; 25-bay; symmetrical classical mansion, now divided into 3 separate houses. Linear plan form; central 3-storey section; flanking 2-storey wings, infill and terminal pavilions to principal elevation. Central 3-storey bowed block flanked by smaller bows; wings and terminal pavilions to garden elevation. Exposed coursed stone and harling; base and eaves courses.

NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-bay piended central block; harled with stone surrounds to openings; cornice, vertical margins and quoins. Advanced centre bay; central door; moulded ashlar surround; semi-circular fanlight; flanking Tuscan pilasters; plain entablature. Ground floor window set back to left and right of door. 3 arched recesses with rectangular windows at 1st floor. 3 2nd floor windows. Left return: 2 ground floor windows; central 1st floor window, string course below; central 2nd floor window. Right return as with left except for ground floor window to left and door to right. 2-bay piended section set back to right and left of 3-bay central house. Left section: ground floor window to left; door to right; right section: 2 ground floor windows. 2 arched recesses with rectangular windows at 1st floor; 2 2nd floor windows; string course below to both right and left sections. Identical 2-bay, 2-storey section set back to right and left. 2 ground and 2 1st floor arched recesses with rectangular windows; continuous string course below 1st floor windows. 6-bay, 2-storey section set back to left and right; left section: window to right followed by door; 2 central windows, door and window to far left. Right section: door, window, door and 3 windows to right. All openings set into arched recesses. Upper storey obscured by trimmed ivy. 2-storey, single bay pavilions terminate the front elevation. Central door (fanlights in left pavilion door) set in arched recess; decorative swag above. Plain, flanking pilasters with entablature at 1? storeys. Semi-circular arched recess above at upper level; circular quatrefoil window within; plain, flanking pilasters. Cornice surmounts entire NW elevation, raised and punctuated by numerous small arched recesses at centre and terminating bays.

SW ELEVATION: single room width to gable wall; central ground floor window; cornice string course at 1? storeys; central arched recess with circular quatrefoil window set within at upper storey. Cornice with raised central section; punctuated by small arched recesses.

SE ELEVATION: near symmetrical elevation; central 3-storey; 3-bay stone bow; garden steps lead to central glazed door; flanking windows. 3 tall, round-headed windows at 1st floor; moulded cill course; 3 2nd floor windows with band and string course below. Advanced stone margins to central section; string course above 2nd floor windows extends across bow and margins. Flanking 3-storey, 2-bay harled sections; stone quoins with string course below cornice. 2 ground floor windows; circular window to right of left section (obscured by plant growth); 2 round-headed 1st floor windows with tabs and keystones and single circular window. 2 2nd floor windows; ashlar string course below; plain ashlar eaves course; ashlar surrounds to windows. Flanking stone 2-storey bowed sections; raised surrounds to windows; 3 ground floor windows; 3 round-headed 1st floor windows; moulded cill course. 2-storey; 5-bay harled section to left of bow section; 2 windows to left; central glazed door. 5 irregularly placed 1st floor windows. Harled section to right of stone bow; window to left; glazed door to right; 1st floor window above. Advanced 2-storey; 3-bay bowed section to centre; stone quoins; 2 ground floor windows to right and left; 3 tall 1st floor windows above; plain stone eaves course; string course below extends across quoins. Ground floor window in left and right return of bow. Ground floor and 1st floor window set back to right of bow. Terminating pavilions to SE elevation; stone arch; harled, recessed centre. Plain ground floor to left pavilion; arched 1st floor window; ashlar surrounds and cill course. Identical right pavilion but with ground floor glazed door and windows. Cornice surmounts entire SE elevation; stone semi-circular detail to central bow and raised central section, punctuated by small arched recesses to pavilions.

NE ELEVATION: 1 room deep; blocked central ground floor window; droved flush quoins; tooled stone; harled in places. Cornice with raised central section; punctuated by small arched recesses.

Combination of 12 and 2-pane timber sash and case windows to NW elevation; predominantly 2-pane with some 12 and 15-pane timber sash and case windows to garden elevation. Timber doors to NW elevation; most with 2 glazing panes set into top of door; mainly glazed doors to garden elevation. Piended, grey slate roof to central 11 bays at different levels. Semi-conical slate roof to smaller bowed sections on garden front. Flat roofs to terminating pavilions and to SW infill wing; piended roof to SE far bay section. Numerous ridge and gable end stacks; 11 in total; corniced stone stacks; polygonal and circular clay cans.

INTERIOR: much intact. Small square entrance hall; door in each arched wall; panelled timber doors; reeded decoration to architraves, semi-circular recess above each door; guilloche and floral cornice decoration. Black and white marble floor; ribbed cross vaulted ceiling; thistle decoration to ceiling rose. Servant bells for each room remain in corridor leading to side door. Thick former exterior wall of pre-1610 tower house is visible to W of central section. 1610 house interior visible in room attached to this wall and 2 vaulted bedroom ceilings, possibly of 1610 remain. Rear staircase from NW side entrance to present 1st floor dining room and kitchen. Servant's box bed recess visible in present kitchen. Grand staircase to NE of entrance; black and white marbelled floor in hall; Frosterly marble skirting. Decorative cast-iron Carron balusters. Plaster wall panelling with reeded design. Ornate, early 19th century plastered ceiling and cornice decoration. Decorative plaster work to ceilings and cornices in some rooms; geometric pattern and rose design with modillions to drawing room. 2 fireplaces in drawing room; marbled surround with lion's head (Hunt family crest) and pilasters. Reeded design repeated in dining room window surrounds with gilded lion's head. Many panelled window shutters remain. Features by Lorimer include ceiling with shallow dome feature and patera in each corner to 1st floor bedroom to E; copper fire screens; metal radiator grilles and some items of door furniture.

GARDEN WALL AND GREENHOUSE

Tall brick walls extend from SE gable ends of house. Early 19th century balustraded wall running parallel to house marks beginning of vegetable garden to SE. Early 19th century greenhouse to E. Low stone wall encloses far SE end of garden (railings missing). 2 doors in SW wall.

GATEPIERS

Gatepiers situated to NE, in line with principal house entrance. Low quadrant stone wall; 1 pair carriage gatepiers, identical adjacent pedestrian gatepiers; post-war metal gates. Chamfered, panelled piers rest on bases; pyramidal coping stones with semi-circular detail at each face.

Statement of Interest

A-Group with Logie House, Steading and Logie House, Lodge and Gatepiers. See separate Lists for Steading and Lodge. Logie House probably began as a 16th century tower house which, according to the owners, was extended and incorporated into a 3-storey house in 1610. The thick outer walls of the pre-1610 tower house remain; as do the vaulted bedrooms, which also possibly belong to the 1610 house. A circular window was uncovered in 1988 in the inner wall of the morning room, formerly the exterior wall of the 1610 house. 3 more circular windows remain in the 1610 part of the SE elevation; an unusual feature. In 1786 Logie House was bought by the Hunt family and continues to remain in their possession. In 1807, the central 3-bay NW section was added on to the house; including the entrance hall and the stairs. The central garden bow and the pavilions were also added at this time. It is possible that a decorative, arcaded wall linked the house to the end pavilions. The Frosterly 'marble' skirting in the ground floor stair well comes from Weardale and is used in Durham Cathedral. It is also used on St Margaret's shrine at Dunfermline Abbey and features in a number of houses within Dunfermline Parish. In 1851, the wings were filled in. On the 1st floor, to the E was the second drawing room with a door leading into the Lorimer extension of 1912. Prior to this date there was a 1st floor conservatory. Work by Lorimer includes the library in the E pavilion with plaster ceiling medallions modelled on those at Pittencrieff House. The Lorimer wing is dominated by the bow fronted billiard room on the 1st floor to the E which he added. Laundries formed most of the ground floor space; with a gun room at the far E end. The W pavilion formed the butler's room and the lamp-lighting room. The remaining space was occupied by servants' quarters, larder, scullery and kitchen. Over the kitchen was the main bedroom of the 1851 extension. The greenhouse, possibly by Makenzie and Moncur, probably dates from just after 1902; it was at this time that James Maitland Hunt sold Pittencrieff House to Andrew Carnegie, leaving Logie House the Hunt's main producer for fruit and vegetables. In the 1950's the house was divided into 3 separate dwellings, although internal access to the wings is still possible and the house remains largely intact as a result of single ownership. In 1988, the house suffered a fire, mainly contained in the morning room where repair work to door and window surrounds and cornicing was carefully undertaken. The use of exposed stone and harling to different bays is used to decorative effect to both principal and garden elevations and aids understanding of the development of the house.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17567572

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

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair