Description

1754. 3-storey, 5-bay classical laird's house of rectangular plan with symmetrically-disposed monopitch single storey wings to gables. Harled and harl-pointed Hildasay granite walls with sandstone ashlar dressings. Margined windows, horizontally channelled margins to wings.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical, 6-panel timber door with glazed upper panels at ground in centre bay; lugged architrave with cornice above, supporting armorial panel. Regular fenestration in flanking bays, and at 1st and 2nd floor, latter windows of smaller size. 2-bay regularly fenestrated end elevations of wings slightly advanced to right and left, inner corners ball-finialled, N wing extended as garage.

S GABLE: symmetrical 2-bay gable comprising lean-to wing advanced at ground with wide 2-leaf vertically-boarded timber door and regularly fenestrated upper floors.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical 4-bay elevation comprising modern door inserted at ground in bay to right of centre and small window in bay to left; regular fenestration in outer bays. Single window at 1st floor between bays to right of centre; regularly fenestrated bays to left and at 2nd floor.

N GABLE: near-symmetrical 2-bay gable comprising lean-to wing extended to N and W as garage, single window at 1st floor in bay to left, regular fenestration at 2nd floor.

Timber sash and case windows, mainly 12-pane to ground and 1st floors, and 8-pane to 2nd floor. Purple-grey slate principal roof with cast- iron gutters and downpipes, felted roofs to wings. Harled and coped apex stacks with circular cans, ashlar skew copes with scrolled skewputts.

WALLED GARDENS: formal arrangement or random rubble walls comprising terrace wall to E of principal front with square gatepiers at centre, steps leading to central area, open to E, with architraved doorways leading off to kitchen garden to N and formal flower garden to S.

OUTBUILDINGS: integral with E and W corners of kitchen garden. L-plan W building of whitewashed rubble, with purple slate roof and chimney- gables to E and W. Vertically-boarded timber door with 2-pane fanlight to right in S elevation; monopitch extension obscuring elevation to left; purple slate roof.

GATEPIERS: classical entrance gate aligned to N gable; piers comprise V-jointed rustication and panelled sides to shafts, rising to pulvinated cushions supporting corniced caps and ball finials.

COTTAGE: T-plan single storey 3-bay cottage to W of house; harled and whitewashed walls, gabled entrance porch to W elevation with vertically-boarded timber door in S side, timber windows in W side of porch and flanking bays of principal wall, single window to right in N gable, shallow-pitched felted roof with harled skew copes and apex stacks with circular cans.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: random rubble walls flanking entrance gate, extending to SW and returning E to cottage. Random rubble walls flanking avenue (and bounding S side of road) connecting walled gardens to pier and bod at E; vista terminated by wall with square rubble gatepiers at centre.

Statement of Interest

Built as a summer house for Sir Andrew Mitchell of Westshore (Scalloway). He was reputedly given permission by the Earl of Morton to remove from Scalloway Castle 'dressed freestones torn from their place to supply door and window jambs and lintels, and corner stones for the mansion'. Two complete doorways from the castle lead from the central garden area into the walled gardens. The principal rooms and bedrooms are panelled in Norwegian pine, the pattern matching that of the panelling at Gardie House and Busta House. The similarity in design to the Old Haa of Scalloway is remarkable, but the survival of the policies and their relationship with the bod, graveyard, and pier (see separate listing) qualifies Haa of Sand (along with North Haa and Belmont) as one Shetland's finest 18th century houses.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q15112031

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

• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments