Description

John Tait, 1837. 2-storey, attic and basement Jacobean-Baronial mansion with single storey service wings. Stugged grey ashlar with base course, string and eaves course, and moulded surrounds to openings; stone mullions.

S ELEVATION: 3 asymmetrical bays. Advanced gabled entrance bay at centre with depressed archway leading to depressed arch of tripartite doorway; heraldic panel over door with "Pietas Tutissima Virtus" inscription, overstepped by string course; 2 blank shields flanking below. Strapworked stone balustrade with panelled stone dies. Gabled panel projecting slightly to outer right bay with tripartite windows to ground and 1st floor and small single attic window in gablehead. Outer bay to left, gabled, with single windows to each floor, tallest at ground.

E ELEVATION: advanced gable bay to right with bipartite at ground floor, single windows to basement, 1st and attic floors, and glazed narrow slits on return. 4-stage circular stair tower set in re-entrant angle with doorway to basement and window to each stage; mannered pediment above fourth stage window, breaking eaves; slated conical roof with tapering ball finial. Gabled bay to outer left intercepted by tower; single windows to each floor.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay. French doors to basement at centre. Slightly projecting gabled bays to left and right; canted bay with short flight of steps adjoined to outer right bay at ground with bipartite French windows and ashlar balustrade; single window in each floor above; tripartite windows in outer left bay and single attic window.

N ELEVATION: 5-bay, 3 gabled bays interspersed by narrower 2nd and 4th bays; tripartite window in 4th bay. Raised chimney stacks to outer bays and windows to each floor of centre bay. 2 gabled projecting single storey service wings at ground, with variety of openings, each 1-bay wide; adjoined to right of centre bay and to outer left corner. Depressed arch window in gable end of latter. Variety of glazing patterns to sash and case windows; curved glass in stair tower windows of E elevation, and plate glass predominating. Gablet coped skews with consoled skewputts; variety of stone finials. Polygonal and clustered diamond stacks with moulded coping; those to left gablehead to N elevation currently shorn-off (1988), grey slates; skylights and 1 small piend roofed dormer to W. INTERIOR: coffered ceiling to hall with plaster roses; strapworked plaster ceilings. Yellow marble Louis chimneypiece. Architraved doors. Yellow marble Louis chimneypiece. Architraved doors. Decorative timber stair balustrade. Winding stair to tower. STABLE COURT

STABLE RANGE: Tudor style single storey range with hayloft. 5 wide bays. Grey rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings and polygonal towers. N ELEVATION: wide 4-centred porch entrance to gabled bay at centre, breaking eaves with round arched hayloft door; blank shield at apex. Polygonal towers flanking with arrow slits, and with drums at impost level with blinded quatrefoil gunports and slated candle snuffer roofs. Bipartites in flanking bays and doorways in outer bays with top-hopper fanlights; gabled hayloft dormerheads to bays flanking centre with round arched openings.

S ELEVATION: 7-bay. Slightly advanced gabled bay at centre with 2 polygonal wallhead stacks and window. 3 stable windows flanking each side, with additional window to right of centre and gabled ahyloft dormers, detailed as above, to penultimate bays. Stall division retained in interior. Narrow stone newel stair to hayloft in E tower. Stone finials to gables and dormers and bracketed skewputts.

GARRIAGE RANGE: 4-bay gabled single storey range. 4 depressed arch carriage doors to E elevation. Skewputts and finials to gables, as above.

Statement of Interest

The circular dovecot lies to N of stable court, probably dating from 18th century, and with the South and East Lodges, is listed separately. A further lodge and walled garden to W are not included in current listings. Consent for extension of house and conversion of stables to offices granted 1991.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17805188

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

• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)