Preston Grange, Prestonpans, Prestonpans, East Lothian

Description

Late16th century core, recast internally 1750, largely remodelled by W H Playfair, 1830-50, with later additions. Baronial mansion. Stugged, squared and snecked yellow sandstone and rubble, with polished ashlar dressings. Iron finials to towers. Moulded eaves course.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION:

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 13-bay, asymmetrical. 6-bay block advanced to left; central 3 bays, near regular-fenestrated, with 4-panel timber door to left at ground, barred single and bipartite windows to right, 3 windows regularly spaced at 1st floor, 3 near-regular gabletted windows breaking eaves, with shields and decorative finials; angle tower to outer left, corbelled out at 2nd floor, irregularly fenestrated, with conical roof; penultimate bay from right canted forming octagonal tower with symmetrical fenestration, comprising studded, vertically-boarded timber door at ground, surmounted by tooled panel reading 'MDCCCXXX', flanked by blank cartouches, surmounted in turn by decorative tooled armorial panel, comprising shield divided per cross, with mantling, ribbon and badge, scroll reading 'Nothing Hazard Nothing Have'; bay to outer right forming square tower, single window to 1st and 2nd floors and small window at attic, deeply moulded eaves cornice, ogee roof, single windows to ground and 2nd floors of right return, stair swept up to left, 2-bay gabled recess to right, bipartite window to 1st floor, 2 single windows to 2nd floor; gable stepped back. Recessed gabled bay recessed to 6 bay from left; single window centred to 1st and 2nd floors, right return blank. 3 bay block stepped back to right; boarded timber door centred at ground, flanked by single windows; tripartite window centred at 1st floor, flanked by windows to left and right; 2 gabled windows breaking waves at 2nd floor, with thistle and fleur-de-lis finials. 4 bay block advanced to outer right, comprising advanced crowstepped gabled bay to centre, with single windows centred at ground and 1st floor, left return blank, single-storey addition at ground to right return, window in crowstepped gabled bay to left, doorway to right, single window to 2nd floor; single windows at 1st, 2nd and attic floors to left, rising to form octagonal tower, with crenulated parapet; ground floor of penultimate bay from right obscured by addition (see above), regular fenestration to 1st and 2nd floors; bay to outer right forming 5-stage square plan tower, window at ground, modern addition adjoining to right (see below), regular fenestration to right return, deeply moulded eaves cornice, ogee roof. Flat-roofed modern addition adjoining to outer right.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay, asymmetrical with crenulated parapet; ground floor obscured by flat-roofed modern addition (see above). Square-plan tower to outer left (see above). Irregular fenestration to all floors. Window in canted bay to re-entrant angle to left at 2nd floor.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 12-bay, comprising rounded candle snuffer roofed stair tower advanced in 5th bay from right with windows at principal and 1st floors; corbelled infill to right return at 2nd floor. T-plan staircase with ashlar steps and entrance platt oversailing basement in 5th bay from left, to roll-moulded architraved doorpiece with 2-leaf glazed timber door, surmounted by cornice and tooled ashlar decorative strapwork panel incorporating central shield; balusters of staircase returned and continued as balustrade to right, with decorative stone balusters, occasional panelled dies, saddleback cope. 3-light rectangular window advanced in 4th bay from right. 5-light canted bay through all floors in 3rd bay from left, breaking eaves. Near regular fenestration to remaining bays at 1st floor. Gabletted windows breaking eaves to left of stair tower at 2nd floor; regular fenestration to right; 3 irregularly-spaced gabletted dormers with decorative finials. Angle tower corbelled out at 1st floor, to outer right; irregularly fenestrated, conical roof. 3-bay castellated block advanced to outer left, gabletted bay with crowstepped gable advanced and rising to 2nd floor, to left, with windows centred at 1st and 2nd floor, flat-roofed addition to ground. Irregularly fenestrated at basement.

E ELEVATION: 4-bay, asymmetrical; predominantly blank gable advanced to outer left, with flat-roofed single storey entrance block at ground, with door to N, boundary wall adjoining to right, (see below). Square-plan tower adjoining to right, deeply canted at ground floor angles, window to ground floor, window to 2nd floor of right return, pyramidal roof; single bay recess to right of right return, regular fenestration at all floors; gabletted penultimate bay from right, bipartite windows to ground and 1st floor, single window set in gablehead; gabled bay stepped forward to outer right, single windows to left at ground and 2nd floors, remainder blank; tower to outer right angle (see above).

Timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs; metal ridges. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Ridge and gablehead stacks; corniced, with circular cans. Coped skews.

INTERIOR: fine entrance hall, restored, 1999; timber panelling below dado, stone staircase, decorative plaster mouldings to ceiling, with some tapestry hooks still evident above panels. Some evidence of working panelled shutters.

BOUNDARY WALL: coped, stugged, squared and snecked sandstone, L-plan boundary wall adjoining building to E elevation (see above) incorporating doorway with wall-mounted decorative pediment including coat-of-arms with shield divided per pale sinister half per fess on foliate cartouche, surmounted by helmet with mantling.

Statement of Interest

B Group with Prestongrange House Boundary Walls, Prestongrange House East Lodge, Prestongrange House North Lodge and Prestongrange House South Lodge (see separate listings).

Prestongrange House is a fine example of a large baronial mansion developed by a prominent Scottish Architect in the mid 19th century from a late 16th century tower house. The building has very fine decorative detailing to the interior and exterior. It has a long historical association with the Royal Musselburgh Golf club which it has housed since 1925. A decorative tempera ceiling painting dated 1581 was discovered in 1962 and removed to Napier College, Edinburgh. The west tower is similar in style to Playfair's work at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, and Floors Castle, Borders.

The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club was formed in 1760 and initially played on the Musselburgh Links Course with several other clubs, and used various buildings as meeting places. In 1873 the RMGC built their first clubhouse at 9 Balcarres Road which they used until 1925 when the course had become too crowded with other clubs. In 1925 the club took on a lease for Prestongrange House from the Grant Suttie family and commissioned James Braid (1870-1950) to design the course, who also designed the nearby Monktonhall Golf Club course around the same time. (See separate listing). The club continues to lease the course from the current owners the Coal Welfare Organisation (2013).

List description updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

External Links

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