Description

John Murray Robertson, 1893. Two-storey, three-bay, U-plan, red ashlar villa set in spacious grounds, with boldly curved ogee-roofed turrets, continuous cill course and coved eaves cornice.

Symmetrical south elevation with central three-light French window at ground floor, veranda with balustrade and trellising between canted windows in outer bays, latter with armorials to parapets. First floor has a large central depressed-arched tripartite window, with flanking French windows (glazing altered) opening onto balconies. Corbelled angle bartizans with ogee roofs and topped by wrought-iron finials. Eaves cornice broken at centre by attic tower with four-light window and rectangular plan, ogee roof topped by weathervane. West wing set back with lean-to timber and glass conservatory in re-entrant angle.

West elevation: symmetrical. Advanced ogee-roofed stair tower with blind ground floor, first floor has dated armorial and two-light window with strapwork aprons. Arched porch in re-entrant angle to right with open strapwork parapet. Three-bay side to main block, two-bay billiard room set back to left with ground floor conservatory (not original) similar to that at south elevation.

East elevation: plain; service wing stepped down to north, U-plan court at rear.

Piended green slate roofs with lead caps and Art-Nouveau wrought-iron finials. Six tall ashlar chimney stacks. Sash and case windows, with small pane over single lower panes, leaded at west tower and altered to casements at balconies.

Interior: little altered; mosaic vestibule, simple plasterwork and dado panelling to most rooms. Adamesque plasterwork in living room (perhaps later change). Original chimney-pieces, stone in dining room, removed from library and billiard room, and some dark wooden fittings. Modest wooden stair balusters and good stained glass window. Service quarters as built.

Motor House: James MacLaren and Soutar, 1909. Single-storey, rectangular plan, brick walls with green slate roof. Two half-glazed and timber sliding doors and two screens, set back with scallop pattern timber valance. Four segmental-arched four-light windows in west elevation. Eaves cornice, piended roof, two roof-lights in east and west pitch. Two vents (possibly truncated) at ridge. Interior completely timber lined; division wall with two roll partitions; inspection pit.

Game Larder: approx 20m southwest house. Single-storey, square-plan, brick clad in wired thatch, with thatch pyramidal roof. Single door, lead vents in south wall at ground level, louvred vent at roof apex.

Cast iron lamp standard in drive with moulded foliate column, curvilinear bracket, and reflector.

Gatepiers and Enclosing Walls: rubble walls with round coping; circular pink ashlar gatepiers with egg and dart cornice to domed and ball finialled caps.

Statement of Interest

Tigh-Na-Muirn was built for Mr James F Low, overlooking his Monifieth Foundry. It was later occupied by Charles Rodger Orr who built the motor house and extended the gardener's cottage (unlisted, MacLaren and Soutar, 1909); and the Walkers. The design owes something to American and Scots Jacobean influences and is a more compact version of Dudhope Works, by Robertson in the same year.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17779707

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)