Description

David Rhind, 1867, with additions of 1897. Asymmetrical Scots Baronial former country house (now hotel). Original house comprised of 2-storey L-plan range wrapping around 2-storey L-plan entrance range to give double-pile arrangement with wings extending from E and S gables; later single storey and attic wings to E; southern wing of L-plan, terminated to S by 2-bay pavilion; balustraded screen wall extending NW to gabled northern wing. Stugged, squared and snecked sandstone walls with polished and droved ashlar dressings and details; coursed rubble walls to wings with droved ashlar dressings. Base course, string course at 1st floor, stop-chamfered arrises to windows.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2-storey, 3-bay principal elevation of original house at left; 3-centred arch to entrance door in centre bay; architraved panel, 3-light window at 1st floor, and arrowslit in gablehead all centred above. 2-storey, 3-light canted window centring gable of NW range advanced and overlapping at left. Dormer with gabled stone dormerhead in regularly fenestrated bay recessed at right. Dormered single storey and attic, single bay wing recessed and extending to right; 3-stage tower in re-entrant angle comprising

2 narrow windows at ground, single window centred at 1st floor with string course above staggered at centre; band course with incised quatrefoils below eaves cornice. Later wing recessed and extending to right comprising 2-bay link to pavilion gable (advanced at right) with windows centred at each floor.

NW ELEVATION: 3-bay principal elevation of original house at right; ground floor obscured by modern addition, bipartite window in dormer with gabled stone dormerhead containing coat of arms breaking eaves in centre bay, dormer window in bay to left, shouldered 2-flue wallhead stack breaking eaves in bay to right. Single storey and attic wing recessed and extending to left.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: blank gable of pavilion to outer left; modern infill obscuring ground floor of link at right; gabled dormers breaking eaves; balustraded screen wall linking to N wing at outer right.

SE ELEVATION: 2-storey, 2-bay pavilion comprising entrance door at ground in bay to right; gabled stone dormer breaking eaves above; 2-storey, 3-light canted window breaking eaves in bay to left.

Modern glazing throughout. Purple slate roof, in fish-scale pattern at ridge; conical roof to tower with diamond pattern slates and weathervane finial; piended roofs to canted windows; cast-iron gutters and downpipes with decorative hoppers and brackets. Finialled ashlar skew copes to gables and dormers of original house; crowstepped skews to later work. Stugged sandstone ashlar and rubble stacks (bull-faced to later work), corniced, with circular and octagonal cans.

TERRACE, AND BOUNDARY WALLS: ha-ha to SW of principal front with ramp at centre flanked by cast-iron urns on fluted pedestals. Coped flagstone wall parallel to ha-ha with regularly-spaced, battered, stugged sandstone piers (railings removed). Random rubble wall stepping downhill and enclosing garden to SW. Series of random rubble walls enclosing policies to NE; stugged sandstone gatepiers with pyramidal caps to principal entrance and farm.

Statement of Interest

Sumburgh House was built for the powerful Bruce family to replace what is now Sumburgh Home Farm (see separate listing). The design precedes the Zetland County Buildings in Lerwick (1874), also by Rhind. This is a building of good quality construction, and, sited next to 'Jarlshof', is a landmark at the south end of Shetland. Its current rather severe appearance is partly due to insensitive additions of the 1970s, and replacement of the original windows with stained timber double glazing (1996).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17851922

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: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair