Description

Dated 1776; early and mid-20th century alterations to byres; 1948 bathroom extension to house. 2-storey, 3-bay farmhouse with 20th century porch, and adjoining byres forming U-plan courtyard to S (front). White-washed random rubble throughout; house rendered to front; ashlar margins to house; long and short droved sandstone quoins to byres. Base course, moulded eaves course, raised ashlar window margins and quoin strips to house.

HOUSE: off-centre 20th century porch to S in front of plain ashlar doorway inscribed RN JS 1776; stone next to doorway inscribed JMN MRS 1912. Regular fenestration to S. Byres adjoining gables. 1948 piend-roofed brick outshot to N (rear); 19th or early 20th century staircase window to centre; regular fenestration to outer bays; brick outshot with timber-boarded back door to outer left.

INTERIOR: 18th century chimneypiece in former kitchen with shelf recess to right: 3 monolithic sandstone jambs with bracket-shaped capitals, supporting sandstone lintel; pointed-arch recess in left jamb of fireplace.

Plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows to S; predominantly 4-pane glazing to N. Corniced stacks. Ashlar-coped skews. Graded grey slate.

BYRE RANGE TO W: adjoining house at W gable. Piend-roofed L-plan byre, extended to S circa 1900. Some later openings to courtyard; irregularly fenestrated to both elevations; some slit windows to W.

BYRE RANGE TO E: adjoining house at E gable. Mid or late 19th century gabled byre, with brick addition to courtyard elevation. Ashlar-coped skews.

WALLED GARDEN: probably 18th century: S, E, and W walls rebuilt circa 1916. Random rubble with flat sandstone coping; cylindrical gatepiers with conical caps to S. See Notes.

BOUNDARY WALL AND GATEPIERS: random rubble boundary wall to S of house with large, monolithic, roughly hewn sandstone gatepiers.

Statement of Interest

This is one of the oldest surviving 2-storey farmhouses in Dunlop parish; only the Hill may be older. The planning of the house is very typical for its age and type. It is apparently symmetrical, but closer inspection shows that the right-hand bay is wider than the left. The kitchen occupied the larger bay, and would probably have had a drawing room above it; the ground-floor room to the left would have probably been a dining room, living room or office, with a bedroom above. This arrangement is fairly common in Ayrshire; the Hill and Craignaught farm are two other examples in Dunlop Parish. The 18th century fireplace in the old kitchen is a rare survival. The narrower space next to the hearth was probably once fitted with shelves.

Although the present buildings date from the 18th century, the farm itself is much older. 'Middle Boirland' is marked on Timothy Pont's map of circa 1604, but his text refers to both 'Over' and 'Nether Boirland'; Over Borland is also mentioned on the valuation roll (circa 1640), which is printed in Dobie's work. There were previously three other farms in the vicinity called Borland: Borland (now Low Borland), North Borland, and Laigh Borland. Low and North Borland are listed separately. Laigh Borland was demolished in the mid-20th century. It was situated just below Over Borland, and was probably always part of the same holding. There is a photograph of the old house and its labourers' cottages at Over Borland. According to the present owner of Over Borland, the house at Laigh Borland had a datestone dating from the 16th century, and the house at Over Borland was built to replace it. The walled garden belonged to Laigh Borland. Most of its walls were rebuilt during the 1st World War.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56615512

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

• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability