Description

Earlier to mid 19th century, incorporating earlier fabric, with later additions and alterations. Asymmetrical, 2-storey with raised basement, 4-bay, rectangular-plan house with castellated Tudor Gothic detailing; later full-height wing at rear forming near L-plan; further lower wing at rear forming U-plan with lower ancillary range adjoined to E, enclosing service courtyard. Painted harl; painted dressings. Moulded eaves to principal block; surmounting crenellated parapet. Narrow quoin strips throughout; plain margins; some chamfered openings.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: steps to projecting porch off-set to left of centre with 2-leaf panelled and studded door; Tudor-arched, decorative fanlight; figurative statues surmounting flanking turrets; single window aligned at 1st floor. Single windows at all floors in bay recessed to outer left (architraved hoodmoulds); narrow windows at all floors in bay recessed to right. Full-height later canted windows to outer right.

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay principal block to left with single windows at ground and 1st floors to left; single windows at all floors to right; porch recessed to outer left with part-glazed timber panelled door at basement; Tudor-arched, decorative fanlight; pointed-arch window aligned above. Full-height, 3-bay range recessed to right with near full-width, lean-to greenhouse at basement; regularly fenestrated above. Coped wall adjoined to outer right.

E (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated piended wing projecting to left with lean-to greenhouse adjoined to outer left. Lower piended wing to outer right with ancillary range adjoined to front. Modern external stair set between wings; principal block set behind.

N (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay principal block to right with single windows at ground and 1st floors to right; single windows at all floors to left; porch recessed to outer right with pointed windows at both floors. Lower, 2-bay wing adjoined to left with bipartite windows at both floors to right; single windows at both floors to left; crenellated parapet. Lower ancillary range adjoined to outer left.

Plate glass and original 12-pane horizontal glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs; projecting cannons/water spouts (?) set in crenellated parapet. Prominent sandstone stacks to principal block with 8 linked flues; projecting wallhead stack to S; octagonal cans throughout.

INTERIOR: converted for use as hotel. Stained glazing to timber panelled vestibule door; decorative inlay to vestibule floor. Carved timber Jacobean style fire surround (re-sited). Remainder not seen 1999.

ANCILLARY RANGE: former stables, hayloft and offices. 2-storey, 8-bay, rectangular-plan range enclosing courtyard to N. Heavily-pointed rubble to front; harled at rear (exposed rubble in part). S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: modern glazing in depressed-arch former cart opening at ground to outer right; various boarded timber doors and windows in remaining bays at ground to left; 3 boarded openings at 1st floor off-set to left. N (REAR) ELEVATION: boarded opening centred at ground; small windows at 1st floor (blocked in part). E (SIDE) ELEVATION: gable end with part-glazed timber door at ground to left; single window centred in apex. Some timber sash and case windows; rooflights. Grey slate roof. INTERIOR: used as office in part; remainder not seen 1999.

COURTYARD WALL: coped rubble wall linking ancillary range and dovecot, enclosing service courtyard to E.

BOUNDARY WALLS, QUADRANT WALLS, PIERS AND GATEPIERS: rubble-coped rubble walls partially enclosing site. Quadrant walls flanking entrance comprising coursed render to outer walls; coped rubble inner walls (coat-of-arms inset to W); square-plan, ball-finialled piers set between; ball-finialled, brick-built piers to outer left and right. Circular-plan, cream sandstone ashlar gatepiers with carved motifs on horizontal bands (fleur-de-lys motifs to left; lions to right); shallow conical caps; 2-leaf modern timber gates.

Statement of Interest

B Group comprises 'Press Castle', 'Press Castle, Dovecot', 'Press Castle, Gate Lodge' and 'Press Castle, Walled Garden' - see separate list entries. Noted in the OS Name Book as "...a large mansion house with substantial offices and ornamental grounds attached." An unusually-detailed house now in use as a hotel (1999). A photograph dated 1897 shows the front of the house prior to the creation of the canted windows and the subsequent insertion of the narrow windows to the left (NMRS). The photograph also indicates that the principal block has been widened with the addition of the canted windows - the porch originally being set in the centre of the front elevation and now apparently off-set to the left. A sketch published in Thomson shows the original, symmetrical house prior to the erection of the full-height rear wing (p264). Rutherfurd's notes a Mr Thomas Drybrough Esq as owner and resident here in 1866.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17847719

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

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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
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