Description

1884-1885. 2-storey 3-bay villa standing on spectacular E facing terraced site. Snecked, bull-faced cream sandstone with polished ashlar dressings; bipartite windows to all bays (unless otherwise stated), tabbed margins, long and short quoins; overhanging timber eaves. Base course. Ashlar mullions, rounded eaves cornice.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: symmetrical; at centre 3 steps to 4-panelled door (brass furniture - Edinburgh handle) with narrow rectangular fanlight in pilastered and corniced doorpiece; moulded bandcourse at level of cornice. Single window above; windows to each floor, with bracketed cills.

S ELEVATION: 2-storey 2-bay (windows to each floor) to right, single storey 2-bay range to left with window at right, door at left.

N ELEVATION: 2-storey 3-bay, right bay lower, slightly set back, with modern lean-to garage beyond. Left bay with canted window at ground (bipartite centre light), with cornice and blocking course. Centre bay with modern (1991) polygonal timber-framed conservatory on rubble base with glass door access.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: round-headed stair window at centre. Low 2-storey piend-roofed projection to left and single storey projection to right. Timber sash and case plate glass windows. Piended roofs, grey slates; pyramidal glass skylights light landing. Stacks detailed as above. Moulded guttering at eaves, cast-iron downpipes with some dated rainwater heads.

INTERIOR: fine surviving entrance hall with etched glass screen to inner hall, both decorative tiled pavements; stair with barley twist turned balusters through archway. Large top-lit landing. Decorative graining and cornices to main rooms.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: rubble wall with droved semi-circular coping go Galahill, swept in at gatepiers (to S of house); polished ashlar square stop-chamfered gatepiers with bases and flat pyramidal caps on cushions. Pedestrian entrance to rear of house, modern carriage entrance introduced to N.

Statement of Interest

J P Alison is the most likely architect as the house bears many similarities with those in Friarsgate. When it was being built debris was found, such as charred oak beams, stone and lime; this was perhaps remains of the old castle which may have been thrown downhill to backfill a moat (Simpson and Stevenson).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56635846

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

• 
  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)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)