Greenhouse, Sand Lodge, Shetland South, Shetland Islands

Description

Country house comprised of late 18th (possibly incorporating earlier work) and early 19th century 2-storey and attic over concealed basement cruciform-plan core, with present principal 3-bay elevation to N; S jamb of core extended to S with 2-storey, 2-bay parapetted wing; mid 19th century single story over basement bow-ended drawing room wing infilling re-entrant to W with late 19th century single storey smoking room wing extending SW from W elevation. Harled walls with droved sandstone ashlar margins to openings, stugged sandstone ashlar dressings elsewhere, and brick dentilled eaves course.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical; advanced and gabled centre bay, forestair rising to margined and corniced entrance door at principal floor; glazed upper panels to 4-panel timber door with 5-pane fanlight above. Centre bay blank at 1st floor; regular fenestration at each floor of side elevation small basement windows and cat-slide dormers breaking eaves at attic. Windows centred in outer bays; smaller windows at 1st floor off-set closer to centre of elevation.

W ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay end gable of principal elevation to outer left with windows in left, right, and left bays at basement, principal and 1st floors respectively. 2-storey 3-bay drawing room wing extending to right; regular fenestration in bay to left, 2-storey pedimented entrance porch with vertically-boarded timber door in bay at centre; right bay obscured by smoking room wing advanced at angle to right comprising single window in NW elevation (with gabled stone dormerhead breaking eaves) adjacent to re-entrant, and single window to left in SW elevation.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: asymmetrical, 2-bay gable end of S jamb to right with windows at principal floor only. 3-bay bow-end of drawing room adjoining to left with regular fenestration at basement and (lower) principal floor. Smoking room wing extending at angle to left; window with gabled dormerhead breaking eaves to outer left; elevation to right obscured by 5-bay timber conservatory, gabled, with cast-iron finials and cresting to ridge.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay end gable of principal elevation to outer right, blank except for windows at basement; elevation of S jamb recessed at left, irregularly-fenestrated bay with gable breaking eaves adjacent to re-entrant angle; 2-bay elevation of S jamb extension to left; piend-roofed single storey, single bay wing at SE corner, bays at principal floor offset to left.

Timber sash and case windows; mainly 12-pane to principal elevation and gables, mixture of 12, 4, and 8-pane patterns to rear elevation and wings. Pegged stone slab roof to principal ranges, purple-grey slates to S jamb extension and smoking room wing (piended), cast-iron gutters and downpipes with hoppers (E hopper on principal elevation reads JB 1835). Harled apex stacks to gables and wallhead stacks to S jamb extension parapets; octagonal cans to brick-dentilled stone copes; harl-pointed ridge stack with circular cans to smoking room wing.

WALLED GARDEN AND FOLLY: series of drystone walls to S (some are mid- 20th century), forming enclosures including semi-circular "dear walk" at S end, eye-catcher centring garden in form of wallhead built up as stepped rubble gable with brick arches and copes. 2-storey square plan rustic folly; vertically-boarded timber door and infilled window centring E and W elevations respectively; string course around 1st floor, 2 round-arched openings to each face above, brick-dentilled cornice at eaves.

GLASSHOUSES: 2 monopitch structures to W side of garden. N glasshouse linked to smoking room wing by latticed timber gate; harled rubble N wall with vertically-boarded timber door at centre, 4-pane fixed-light centred above and narrow round-arched window to right, boulder ball- finials at wallhead; timber S wall with vertically-boarded timber door to right, 2 windows to left, each with 8 tall panes of layered glass. S glasshouse; N wall with boilerhouse and wallhead stack at centre, layered glass on timber glazing bars to roof and S and side elevations.

STEADING AND COTTAGE: to E of house, comprising 3 separate gabled ranges with courtyard partially enclosed to S by L-plan cottage forming quadrangle, additional gabled barn (now garage) to S and pigsty to E.

W range and cottage; harl-pointed rubble walls with purple-grey slate roofs. W elevation of 4 widely-spaced bays with narrow openings in each bay at 1st floor only; full-height timber door in bay to right of centre; N gable, concrete steps to round-arched vertically-boarded timber loft door; single storey and attic 3-bay cottage elevation to S comprising door at ground in centre bay, regular fenestration with modern glazing in gabled bay to left, dormer breaking eaves in bay to right. E elevation; modern addition in re-entrant angle at outer left, 5-bay barn elevation to right, 2-leaf vertically-boarded timber doors with 4-pane fanlights in penultimate bay to left and outer right bay, 4-pane windows in other bays.

E range: comprises 6-bay principal barn with loft and gabled projection centred to E giving T-plan, 2-bay jamb with loft in shallow-pitched roof extending to N. Harl-pointed rubble walls with stugged sandstone dressings and stone slab roof. Principal range; full-height sliding timber door in bay to right of centre, cart-arches in bay to right, narrow window in penultimate bay to left with doors in flanking bays. Segmental-arched window and door in right and left bays respectively

of N jamb. Rubble steps to segmental-arched vertically-boarded timber loft door in N gable. E elevation; gable advanced at centre, blank elevation except for 8-pane timber fixed-light to outer right. Brick-infilled opening centring S gable.

Pigsty: drystone walls and stone slab roof, gabled to E and W, with

2 enclosures fronting S elevation.

Garage: harl-pointed rubble walls with shallow-pitched roof (modern cladding); vertically-boarded timber doors flanking centre of N gable, E elevation adapted for garage door, vertically-boarded timber doors to right of centre and at outer left in W elevation.

DOOCOT AND SUNDIAL: 2-storey, single bay symmetrical doocot centred to N of house. Harl-pointed rubble walls with dentilled brick eaves cornice. Principal elevation to S comprising door at ground, vertically-boarded infill with round-arched flightholes to square opening at 1st floor with brick margin. Roofless single storey monopitch lean-to to rear, in re-entrant angle to E. Grey slate bell- cast pyramidal roof with ball finial at apex. Pedestal sundial of 1789 centred to S of doocot.

BOUNDARY WALLS, GATES AND GATEPIERS: series of enclosures to N and W of house in a combination of harl-pointed and drystone rubble walls. Principal enclosure symmetrically disposed to N (principal) elevation of house; doocot (see above) at centre, flanked by wall curving to S and meeting corners of E and W walls with gates adjacent. W gatepiers of sandstone ashlar, comprising rusticated square shafts each with moulded base and cornice over frieze surmounted by ball finials; vertically-boarded timber gate. E gate of harl-pointed rubble with brick quoins comprising ashlar-margined vertically-boarded timber door at centre with brick string course and dentilled cornice at wallhead, gatepiers flanking with dentilled corniced caps, stepped to boulder ball finials. Secondary enclosure to W with low harled walls with concrete copes to wallheads and piers (with ball finials) at S gate and steps to W. N boundary wall (to sea) extending W from principal enclosure; small wrought-iron gate with semicircular rubble wind-break at E end; wallhead stepped up to brick and rubble ball-finialled piers flanking crenellated semicircular rubble recess for flagpole; boundary wall extends SW to concrete entrance gatepiers at N end of W boundary wall. Additional gatepiers to S of squared rubble.

Statement of Interest

Presiding over the copper mining community of Leebotten, Sand Lodge was long used by the Bruces of Sumburgh as a halfway house between their various properties before John Bruce bought the Sandwick estate circa 1770. The use of brick in the external detailing is an unusual feature. The drawing room wing and smoking room are both good examples of additions typical of their period.

External Links

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