Description

Group of farm buildings enclosing a courtyard to E of new house, including old house, now in derelict condition, originally a circa late 17th/early 18th century laird's house, subsequently in use as farm-building, reverting again in recent times to domestic use, now empty; (1992) also attached L-plan steading to E and detached single-storey outbuilding enclosing square to W.

LAIRD'S HOUSE: built on sloping site, 2-storey front (S) elevation, but single-storey at rear (N), asymmetrical roof swept down to eaves line at 1st floor level; rear elevation further reduced in height by high ground level.

Rubble-built, on large boulder footings, larger masonry blocks to S elevation, random field rubble to N; slated pitched roof, on very steep pitch to rear, as described above, slates collapsed on N slope; stone ridge; masonry skews and beaked, moulded ashlar skewputts; W gable has distinctive steps or 'kneelers' at mid-point of skews; end stacks over E and W gables truncated.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3 widely-spaced bays; SW angle deeply chamfered at ground floor, corbelled to square above at 1st floor; narrow single windows to outer bays, reglazed with modern uPVC glazing; lintels of 1st floor windows continuous with cornice blocks. Entrance at centre, door is late 18th or early 19th century enlargement, dressings roughly droved with broad slightly raised margins, replacement concrete lintel, and circa 1800 6-panel door. Single large square window above presumably introduced later, probably 18th century (?blind originally: dressings look original; may have contained armorial panel); fine moulded cornice over ashlar eaves band.

Tiny window to left in W gable-head, which is otherwise blind.

INTERIOR: stripped and upper floor partially removed; fine original ?late 17th century chimneypiece to centre of W wall at 1st floor, with basket-arched masonry surround and boldly projecting moulded cornice cill. E wall also with (plainer) masonry fire-surround (blocked) at 1st floor and blocked door off-centre to right at ground.

E WING/JAMB, attached to E gable, date uncertain, but probably 18th century, contemporary with parts of steading: single-storey with very high steeply-pitched pantiled roof; single window to left (roughly droved cill) and door opening to right on S elevation, dressings with rounded arrises as at main entrance of old house; single window to N (both windows with uPVC glazing).

Single-storey rubble and pantile STEADING, in turn attached at E of house to pantiled E wing: enclosing close to E, returning along road to S, and in again with N-S orientated cart-shed to S. Date uncertain, possibly as early as old house, ie late 17th/early 18th century; partially altered and rebuilt in 19th century.

LONG, E RANGE: pantiles partly lost; blind E elevation; wide rectangular opening with timber lintel in SE re-entrant angle. S RANGE, to roadside, contains early roof structure, with undressed timbers as couples in A-frame roof, elsewhere A-frame roof replaced with machine-cut timbers at later date. Attached piend-roofed, pantiled CART-SHED range returning to N (at S end of E range), with 3 rectangular cart-bay openings to W; sharp SW angle of cart-shed (to road) chamfering swept out to squared angle below wallhead; quoins and dressed stones roughly stugged, and with neatly droved margins.

OUTBUILDING TO W OF CLOSE: single-storey, rubble and pantile, with slate skirting. E elevation to close: large slapping with timber lintel to left, small window and pedestrian door to right, W elevation blind, except for small window near centre. E wall of ruined building extending from N gable (W wall), now used as boundary wall.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17848651

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

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)