Description

1640-1644; substantial later alterations. Traditional L-plan towerhouse with narrow angle turrets corbelled at 1st floor; 3 storeys, originally 4. Later additions including NE 2-storey wing to form T-plan house. Sandstone rubble; slaister pointing to original house; tooled, snecked rubble with stugged and chamfered ashlar surrounds to additions.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: partly obscured by staircase and porch additions in re-entrant angle. Single ground floor window; mullioned bipartite window at 1st floor; 2 at 2nd floor; crowstepped gableheads. Mullioned bipartite window with crowstepped gablehead at 2nd floor at right return. Gabled porch to right return; ashlar to principal elevation roll-moulded doorway; arched timber doorframe. Advanced ashlar coping to gable with skewputts. Single window in right return. Advanced 2-storey crowstepped staircase addition to left; moulded chamfer stop to quoin; roll-moulded band course forming hoodmould to window; single narrow window above. Gabled dormer breaking eaves with blank plaque above to right return. Advanced wing to outer right with 1880's tripartite box window. Various blocked openings in S gable wall. Two angle turrets to S wall; ashlar eaves course; single square window in each turret.

W ELEVATION: door to right; modern glazed conservatory; asphalt monopitch roof. Single window at 1st floor to left; 2 inscribed stones above; 'PE AC'; 'PE.AC.1640.4' (Patrick Ellis/Eleis of Plewlands and his wife); blocked window to right. Two angle turrets to gable; ashlar eaves course; single square window at 1st and 2nd floor in each turret. Crowstepped gable wallhead; apex chimney stack.

N ELEVATION: irregular ground floor fenestration. Off-centre crowstepped timpany gable; corniced double chimney stack; 2 mullioned bipartite rectangular windows at 1st and 2nd floors aligned below timpany gable. Blocked windows in right bay; blocked window slit to left bay. 2-storey, 3-bay wing to left; glazed door to left; 2 single windows to right; 3 catslide dormer windows aligned above at 1st floor. Single storey addition to far left.

E ELEVATION: raised skews to far right gable; crowstepped gable with apex chimneystack to 2-storey wing. Advanced porch to door; raised skews; single light in right return. 2 ground floor flanking windows to right; window with catslide dormer above door to right. Advanced curve of stairtower to left of porch; blocked ground floor window; corbelled storey above with 1st floor window; coped gablehead with skewputt. Mullioned bipartite window; blocked opening above to E elevation of towerhouse. Corbelled, curved protrusion of staircase to right of window; voussoirs of blocked arched opening below. Crowstepped gable wall to towerhouse; apex stack.

Varied glazing; predominantly narrow rectangular 6-pane timber sash and case windows to original towerhouse; 12-pane timber sash and case windows to additions; some interior shutters. Grey slate roof to towerhouse. Grey slate pepperpot turret roofs; lead capped; ball finials. Purple slate to additions.

INTERIOR: Marble plaque in porch bears Lothian initials and rising sun emblem, similar to plaque at Newbattle Abbey. Ground floor vaulted room to N in original towerhouse; originally 1, now partitioned into 2 rooms; large fireplace to NE; meat hooks in ceiling; splayed windows reveal thick walls.

BOUNDARY WALL: cut rubble walls; curved and ridged capping stones surround garden, adjoining field and partitions garden. Square piers; pyramidal coping stones to field entrance. 2 chamfered and panelled square piers; square bases; corniced pyramidal coping stones to driveway entrance.

Statement of Interest

Once part of the Newbattle Abbey estate, built or possibly altered by Patrick Ellis circa 1640 and greatly altered mid-late 19th century with the addition of the 2 storey wing, crowstepped dormers, porch, the removal of old stairs and addition of the stair tower; the repair of the turrets (which is evident in the coursed sandstone of the upper levels), the lowering of the roof level and the reduction of 4 storeys to 3. There was a well in the garden which has been covered up.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17828200

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

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey