Description

Andrew Heiton and Son, dated 1852. 2-storey, square-plan Baronial mansion with 3-stage circular entrance tower, now roofless (1996). Square rubble with ashlar dressings. Roll-moulded surrounds. Dividing string course; moulded eaves course.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Engaged entrance tower at centre with roll-moulded segmentally arched and keystoned doorway at foot, in pilaster-flanked door surround; panelled pilasters frieze above and carved armorial above again in square panel curved up at centre, flanked by obelisks on panelled dies. Narrow windows to 2nd stage of tower with string course swept above in line of curvilinear pediments' blank shield panels in oval surrounds to 3rd stage, with pedimented windows in heavy ashlar surrounds breaking eaves with billeted corbel course supporting; stacks behind those to sides; leaded ball to apex of conical roof below decorative, wrought finial. 2 regularly fenestrated bays flanking each side with 1st floor window given steeply pedimented dormerheads. Outer bays crowstepped gabled and advanced, with corners rounded at ground, corbelled to square at 1st floor, and with canted windows advanced to centre, similarly corbelled to upper stage and at gablehead; 1st floor windows with strapworked carving above mutuled cornice; gableheads with narrow lights, round-arched; clustered diamond stacks corbelled from corner of bays towards entrance, corbelled, circular pepperpot bartizans to outer corners opposite, with diminutive slit windows with piended dormerheads breaking corbelled eaves courses below conical, finialled roofs.

E ELEVATION: broad canted bays to centre with ashlar bracketted balcony to bipartite French windows at 1st floor, decorative stone balustrade and broken pediments on mutuled cornices above openings with arrowslit cradled between in crowstepped gablehead; flank to left with wallhead stack. Further advanced bay to outer right with 1st floor window in advanced panel on corbelled apron, and with further bartizan nestling to left in re-entrant angle.

Glazing removed. Evidence of some internal panelled shutters. Previously with grey slates (roof now collapsed). Decorative, billeted coping to diamond stacks. Wrought-iron finials to gableheads and conical roofs.

INTERIOR: not seen (1996).

Statement of Interest

The estate was formerly known as Mount Alexander. An earlier house was illustrated in Neale's Seats, but only the foundations of this remain at a different site. Heiton was the second of a dynasty of 3 generations: after training with his father, he spent time in the office of Burn and Bryce between 1842 and 1848, from whence he evidently acquired experience with Baronial design, leaving to provide a host of fine, imaginative compositions which stand up well in comparison with those of David Bryce. He is known for such masterpieces as Atholl Palace Hotel and Vogrie House, Midlothian.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Dunalastair House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5314055

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)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)