Description

David Bryce, 1857 with later alterations and additions. 2-storey and basement with attic, symmetrical, 3-bay, Jacobean house with single storey sunken service wing to S. Stugged and snecked cream sandstone ashlar with polished ashlar dressings and droved, chamfered surrounds to windows. String course between basement and ground floors; crowstepped gables.

SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: balustraded steps leading to ground floor entrance with two window at basement floor in right return. Advanced, 3-light canted window to centre with long, rectangular-plan, glazed porch spanning whole bay behind with door to right; window at 1st floor; square plaque with carved bird with eaves balustrade above; wallhead stacks flanking. Tripartite window at ground, bipartite window at 1st floor, small attic window to gablehead above in bays to right and left. Small window at basement floor set close to angle with steps in bay to right.

SW (GARDEN) ELEVATION: 2-bay, with later 2-bay block set back to left; square-plan, sunken service wing to S with rectangular plan pavilion further S. Full-height canted bay to right; part-glazed door with window flanking to left at basement; 5-light window at ground; corbelled to bipartite window at 1st floor above; attic window to crowstepped gable. Tripartite window to ground floor; bipartite window breaking eaves in pediment above. Irregular disposition of windows at basement. Single window at 1st floor and gablehead stack to left return. 2-bay block, set back to left: window at ground in each bay; window to crowstepped gable between bays. 4-bay Service Wing: Bays grouped 1-3; part-glazed door with letterbox fanlight above in 3 bays to right; trefoil motif to piers between. 2 storey pavilion to outer left: horizontal light to ground; bipartite window set high above. Trefoil motif and narrow slit opening to right return. Modern, lean-to addition with boarded door flanking to left return.

NE ELEVATION: irregular 5-bay. Bipartite window at basemement in bay to centre; 2 evenly spaced windows at ground; bipartite window at 1st floor; dormer window to attic above. Window (half blinded) at basement in bay to left of centre; dormer window at attic above. Full-height, advanced canted and corbelled widow in bay to outer left: bipartite window with single windows flanking at basement; tripartite window with single Windows flanking at ground; bipartite window at corbelled 1st floor above. Advanced window at basement in bay to right of centre; boarded door to right return; dormer window at ground above. Full-height, modern tripartite window spanning basement and ground floors in bay to outer right.

NW ELEVATION: Harled, 4-bay, grouped 2-2. Crowstepped gabled group to left: Window (boarded) at each floor in bay to left. Tall, replacement window spanning both floors in bay to right. Gablehead stack between. 2-bay group to right: part-glazed door with rectangular fanlight above at basement in bay to left; window at ground at ground. part-gazed door with fanlight at basement in bay to right; window at ground; dormer window to attic above. Tall, wallhead stack between bays.

Variety of glazing patterns including 8-, 12-and 2-pane timber sash and case windows; fixed tripartite and bipartite mullioned windows. Grey slate pitched roof; slate to additions; ashlar coped wallhead and gablehead stacks; carved ashlar initials "GSD" to some dormer gablets; cast iron rainwater goods with dated hoppers.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1996.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: square-plan ashlar gatepiers with ogee- arched recesses, cornice and shallow pyramidal cap. Sandstone rubble walls with stugged, curved cope.

Statement of Interest

Built by David Bryce for the "hanging judge" Lord Deas. There is a drawing room with a library en suite along the S front and a dining room with a thistle cornice to the NE. In 1928 Lorimer & Matthew refurbished the interior for the then owner, Douglas Strachan who designed stained glass window panels for the library. He may also have papered it and the drawing room with Chinese prints, (now removed) which were uncovered in the 1980's whilst the property was being converted from a school to a nursing home. Some prints were removed and restored whilst the remainder were stabilised, covered and remain in situ. The gatepiers have been relocated to a new position further back from the road (for safety reasons) and new walls were subsequently built. Now in use as a nursing home.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17827843

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

• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)