Description

Circa 1729. 2-storey, 5-bay, raised basement and attic rectangular-plan plain classical mansion house. Harled; dressed margins; quoin strips; moulded eaves course. Splayed stair to main entrance; platform piended roof; small piended dormers to S.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical elevation. Central 2-leaf timber panelled door approached by splayed stair with modern cast-iron railings. Roll-moulded architrave, rectangular fanlight with webbed glazing pattern; small circular basement windows flanking stairs, 2 basement windows with cast-iron bars to outer bays. 2 ground floor windows flanking door. 5 1st floor windows centred above ground floor openings. Small piended dormer windows to outer edge of roofline. Single storey outbuilding (converted to garage) abutting house to right (plain gable end facing S).

E ELEVATION: garage abutting house to left; basement window to right (partially obscured by garage).

N (REAR) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical elevation. Central piended single storey porch, central square window with cast iron bars, small square window to left return; sunk basement door to left; arrow slit window to left outer bay. 2 arrow slit windows to right of porch. Central stair window above porch, set between ground and 1st floors. 4 1st floor windows to outer bays (narrow inner windows). Central cast-iron roof light.

W ELEVATION: ground floor window to left; blind window to right.

Predominantly 12-pane, timber sash and case windows; 4-pane timber windows to dormers. Piended platform roof; grey slates; rendered, corniced wallhead stacks to E and W; stone quoin strips; ashlar coped gablehead chimneystack to garage to S.

INTERIOR: original mid 18th century fireplaces to library and drawing room; dining room panelled in painted lime with gilt highlights to panels (look-a-like fireplace); some original white marble tiles laid in basement near kitchen.

FORMER STABLES: 18th century. Single storey, 5-bay rectangular-plan stables (partly converted to garage). Rendered to W; random rubble to N and S. W (principal) elevation: 3 stable doors to right, modern window and garage door to left; bas-relief of horse head between central stable doors. Pitched roof; grey slates; ashlar coped skews; scrolled skewputts. Plain gable to N. 2-leaf timber boarded door to right of S gable. 2 later window openings to E elevation.

BOUNDARY WALLS and GATEPIERS: random rubble walls to perimeter of estate; mid 19th century square plan and chamfered ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps and later carved birds of prey finials to W (main entrance gates); single plain square plan and pyramidal capped gatepier at terminus of inner rubble wall to W of house; another single plain square plan and pyramidal capped gatepier to E of house in wooded glade.

WALLED GARDEN: square-plan garden to N of house, divided in quarters central avenue running NS. Low random rubble wall to S with central low square-plan gatepiers with pointed pyramid caps. High coped random rubble wall to N, E and W; low arched alcove to NW wall.

Statement of Interest

This mansion house was probably built by John Cant, who acquired the estate in 1729. By the mid 19th century the house was no longer used by the landowner and another mansion house, called Duloch House, was built at the S end of the estate by John Cunningham, Lord of Session in 1844 (now demolished). In the second half of the 19th century, Old Duloch was used to accommodate estate employees. The later 19th century owner of Duloch estate, Bailie William Gibson died and left the estate in trust, administered by the Gibson Trustees. The houses and grounds were let on lease for many years. Old Duloch was derelict by the 1960s and was acquired and restored by Alastair Harper in 1969-70. According to the Dunfermline Press, the restoration included the renewal of floors and rebuilding of chimneystacks, retaining original stone quoins.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17569449

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

• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments