Description

John Kinross, dated 1895. Classical stable and carriage house block of considerable refinement with groom?s house. Principal court quadrangular, U-plan secondary/exercising court and small, oblique V-plan yard/ service court to NW. Rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings, droved ashlar to rear of principal range. Base course, eaves band course. Rectangular fanlights.

PRINCIPAL COURT:

E RANGE: 2-storey, piend-roofed, grooms? accommodation to S, coachmen?s to N. E elevation symmetrical, 7-bay. Full-height arch at centre with cavetto reveal in coupled, Roman Doric pilastered and pedimented surround; frieze with fluting flanking central panel adorned with heraldic shield; oculus to tympanum. Pend barrel-vaulted with droved ashlar and impost band. Flanking bays with corniced windows at ground and smaller windows at 1st floor. S return elevation with corniced tripartite window at ground and small window above. N return elevation 2-bay, with window to left at ground, door to right (round-arched with keystone in square surround), both corniced, smaller windows above. Courtyard elevation in droved ashlar with lower N and S ranges flanking; cavetto surround to arch with impost panels of low relief hunting scenes; wrought-iron bell under pend and pal stones. 2 corniced windows flanking and corniced doors to outer bays with flush-panelled doors and fanlights; regular small fenestration above; segmental-headed bipartite timber dormer above pend.

S RANGE: single storey, coach house range. S elevation 9-bay, including return of 2-storey principal range to outer right (see above). Pedimented, advanced bays to centre and outer left with corniced tripartite windows and carved oval panels in tympanum, 1 dated 1895,

1 with initials ?JMP? (James Percy Miller). Small high windows in intermediate bays with swag-carved aprons. Courtyard elevation 7-bay with slightly advanced pedimented bay breaking eaves at centre with clock in tympanum and curved iron lamp bracket below with lantern (to coach washing area); high segmental-arched carriage door; flanking bays all with segmental-arched carriage doors (2-leaf, boarded).

N RANGE: loose-box range. 10-bay to courtyard with 8 stable doors at centre (flush-panelled, divided) with tall fanlights and keystones; outer bays with segemental -arched pends to secondary court that to left with keystone. Outer elevation facing onto secondary court, largely blank with timber gate to pend to outer left and tripartite grilles under eaves corresponding with stable doors of main court.

W RANGE: stalls range with harness room to N. 7-bay to courtyard with slightly advanced pedimented bay at centre, breaking eaves, with wide door, semicircular, radial fanlight and oval armorial shield panel carved in tympanum. Windows to 2 flanking bays each side, keystoned, and doors to outer bays, all segmental-arched with keystones and fanlight to doors. Outer elevation with slightly advanced, pedimented bay to outer right with blank niche and tripartite stable grilles, armorial oval carving in tympanum; blank to right of centre with tripartite grilles under eaves; elevation to service court to left (N), with M-pedimented bays divided by corniced stack braking gutter, and each with 2 windows and carved oval in tympanum. See Service Court below.

SECONDARY COURT: high, ashlar coped screen wall enclosing court to E, with tall drumpiers at centre, with fluted frieze and modillioned cornice to flat coping. Stud stables to N range with high, rubble-walled enclosures/courts projecting into exercise yard, each with red inner walls; stable doors with fanlights; segmental-arched pend to outer left; rear elevation largely blank with tripartite wallhead grilles (as above) to stables and window to outer left. W range with round-arched opening to court to right, flanked by 2 doors to outer right, door to left flanked by windows and further round-arched doorway to outer left.

STUD GROOM?S HOUSE: to NE corner of secondary court. 2-storey 3-bay. E (principal) elevation with pilastered and pedimented ashlar doorcase at centre, panelled door and rectangular fanlight, sheild carving in tympanum; blank wall-plane above bridging between skews of gabled outer bays, each with window to both floors, those at 1st floor segmetnal-arcehd and keystoned. S elevation with window at ground and ashlar panel above under eaves, bearing engraved, wall-mounted, lead sundial, dated 1663, inscribed ?Vivat Carolus Secundus?. Rear elevation abutted at ground by outer range of secondary court, with window to each outer gablehead at 1st floor

SERVICE YARD: to N of W elevation, enclosed by obliquely angled range to road and by screen wall to SW with drumpiers crowned with gadrooned urns. NW range comprised of symmetrical 5-bay elevation to road, ashlar base course and advanced pedimented outer bays with corniced windows and oval armorial carvings in tympani, small; swagged oculi to 3 centre bays (a la Petit Trianon); courtyard elevation with pedimented bay to outer left (door flanked by small windows and oculus to tympanum), flanked to centre and left by implement shed, open to right with cast-iron columns, lean-to timber projections to centre left; W elevation to court with pedimented gable to right (see above) bearing oval in tympanum inscribed ?JPM 1895 EMC?; boarded 2-leaf door to outer left, flanked by windows, housing forage store and forge.

Small -pane timber sash and case windows, casements to service court. Grey-green slates with lead flashing. Corniced ashlar stacks.

Granite setts to courtyards, red setts to main court patterned with contrasting saltire and border.

INTERIOR: exceptional quality throughout. Stables of main court with segmental, boarded barrel-vault, swept timber trevises with massive ball-finialled brass posts and marble frieze above each stall, bearing name plaques (all names beginning with ?M?), panelled timber hopper shutters to grilles at wallhead. Tack room with traceried rosewood cabinets, marble table, decorative plasterwork cornice and frieze.

Statement of Interest

The stables cost ?25,000. The coaches and carriages were taken by the Curzons and are now dispersed after sale.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17571523

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

• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
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  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)