Description

Dated 1748. 3-storey and basement, 7-bay classical villa
with 19th century stairtower addition. Tooled, heavily
pointed cream sandstone rubble to NE elevation, darker
stone to sides and rear; squared and coursed sandstone
stairtower; rusticated quoins, keystones, bracketed
cills and cornice.
NE ELEVATION: 3 centre bays advanced, with pediment
proud of main eaves line; Gibbsian door surround at head
of stone steps with simple wrought-iron balustrade, open
pediment cradling acorn. Basement and ground
floor windows in flanking bays (1 basement window
blinded), and regular fenestration to each bay at 1st
and 2nd floor. Elaborate monogram in typanum flanked by
date; pediment stack and decorative urn finials. Regular
windows in each recessed, paired outer bay, at each
floor. Stairtower at E angle.
SW ELEVATION: 6-bay, arranged 2-2-2. Regular
fenestration to each floor; door enlarged from window to
left of centre bays, with modern timber stair. Cills of
ground floor windows to centre and left bays lowered,
earlier 19th century.
SE ELEVATION: gable lines of former 19th century
additions apparent; blinded 2nd floor window; stairtower
to right corner.
NW ELEVATION: line of former 19th century additions to
basement evident, with door; 2 1st floor windows, and 1
2nd floor at centre.
STAIRTOWER: 1-bay square, full-height tower with
openings detailed similarly to principal elevation.
3 square panels to exposed faces, 2 bearing inscriptions
(EPH III 14.21, and PSALM 127.1). Door to SW elevation
originally internal door to further 19th century
additions (since removed). Blind windows to NE
elevation. Piend roof with finial.
12-pane glazing patterns in sash and case windows (some
original glazing retained), and horizontal-pane glazing
pattern in lengthened windows at rear. Coped and
panelled stacks. Grey slate piend roof with lead
flashings and swept eaves.
INTERIOR: much original decoration retained. Flagstoned
basement; kitchen recess; wine cellar. Keystoned
passage arches. 18th century pine panelling. Scale and
platt stair with panelled treads. Unorthodox, ornate
plasterwork, circa 1820, to comb ceiling over stairwell.
Ground floor drawing room re-decorated circa 1820 with
shell niche, plaster cornices; classically ornamented
chimneypiece. Late 19th century chimneypieces to several
bedrooms. Mural over-door panels to 2nd floor bedroom
and landing, of landscapes and marine scenes, probably
18th century. Mural frieze to 2nd floor landing more
amateur, probably earlier 19th century, possibly
William Kirk. Cantilevered stone stair in stairtower.
S PAVILION AND QUADRANT: 1 of pair of earlier 18th
century ogivally-roofed rectangular plan, 2-storey
pavilions; recently restored. Sandstone rubble, harl-
pointed; ashlar dressings; some chamfered arrises. Stone
forestair to NE elevation with stone balustrade. 1 1st
floor window retained on NW elevation, 5 blocked.
Bipartite inserted to each floor of SW elevation.
Blocked windows at ground to SE and wallhead stack. 12-
pane glazing pattern to sash and case windows. Grey
slates to ogival roof with scalloped flashings.
Quadrant linking pavilion and house; squared and snecked
sandstone with ashlar coping and dressings; recesses
flanking keystoned gateway, with keystones and bracketed
cills (see above).
DOVECOT: 2-storey, rectangular plan, currently roofless
(1989) dovecot, converted later to garden house, and
sited in S corner of garden. Sandstone rubble with
ashlar dressings; cornice; chamfered arrises to door.
Boarded door with small-pane fanlight. 1st floor windows
breaking former eaves, walls lined with stone nesting
boxes.
ICE HOUSE: 18th century in falling ground to SW.
RETAINING WALLS, GATES AND GATEPIERS: sandstone rubble
retaining walls with quadrants to roadside; early 19th
century rusticated and corniced ashlar gatepiers (1
incised "The Manor House") with sizeable mid 18th
century urn finials; pedestrian gateway to N; decorative
wrought-iron gates. Brick wall to garden with decorative
wrought-iron gate.

Statement of Interest

The most imposing of the Inveresk villas, built for

Archibald Shiells whose monogram is in the tympanum.

Shiells evidently moved or died soon after completion of

the house, as the Advertisement held in National Library

MS, indicates. The early Title Deeds are lost, but from

1846 the ownership can be traced through Archibald

Spence, Lady Mary Oswald, 1848, to Lord Gilbert Kennedy,

and thence the Wauchope family, until Dr John

Bartholomew, geographer, in recent years. The design of

the house undoubtedly influenced that of Oak Lodge to N.

The pavilions are very similar to the earlier pavilions

by James Smith at Yester House and Traquair. 19th

century mural painting in Easter Whitehouse, Inveresk

Village, has been signed by William Kirk, and it is

possible that the work at the Manor House was also by

him, dating to the early part of the century.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17569869

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

• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)