Description

Dated 1822, altered at rear. Interesting, early, single storey, 6-bay pair of cottages prominently sited on main Forfar to Friockheim road, with Gothic-arched openings and dated skewputts to principal elevation. Ashlar with deep base course and raised cills, squared rubble and dry dash to sides and rear.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: symmetrical principal elevation to S incorporating door with flanking windows to each side of centre ridge stack. Deep skewputts with relief carved date, '18' to outer left and '22' to outer right.

Decoratively-astragalled timber windows to principal elevation, those to East Damside retain sash and case openings, those to West Damside with pivot openings. Non-traditional roofing; brick stacks with thackstanes; broad skews with deep block skewputts.

Statement of Interest

Damside Cottages, which form part of the loose-knit hamlet of Guthrie, retain evidence of their early origins with their unaltered openings facing the main road from Forfar to Friockheim. Dated 1822, and with a high quality ashlar principal elevation, the pointed-arch openings are a rare feature and the cottages form a distinctive part of the streetscape.

The cottages, originally of a simple rectangular-plan, appear unnamed on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. The name Damside may have been added some time later owing to their siting close to the route of the long mill lade running from the Lunan Water (to the north west) to a nearby mill dam at the north east. The lade ran eastward from the dam to Pitmuies corn and lint mill on the outskirts of Friockheim. Although it has not been possible to confirm, Damside Cottages may have been connected with the House of Pitmuies which was undergoing a number of fashionable alterations during the early years of the 19th century. The Gothic Revival interest, seen here in the pointed-arch windows, was introduced at the House of Pitmuies by Mr Mudie who had purchased the house in 1780. His embellishments included the addition of castellated detail to the dovecot and building a Gothic laundry which may have been intended as a tea house.

Category changed from B to C(S) in 2009.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56618751

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

• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)