Courtyard Cottage, Charterhall, Fogo, Scottish Borders

Description

Cairns, Ford & Yuill, 1966 replacing original house, John Lessels, 1851; original service blocks retained. Asymmetrical 2-storey, 7 bay, near rectangular-plan, Scottish Arts and Crafts survival style house with projecting entrance bay off set to left of centre; single storey, 2 bay range to right linking former service block. Painted harl; cream sandstone ashlar dressings. Squared and snecked, bull-faced cream sandstone base course; moulded eaves course. Sandstone margins; flush cills; pedimented gableheads to front upper windows. Single storey, rectangular-plan service block (converted to office use) and separate single storey with attic, L-plan cottage forming courtyard to SW.

NW (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: full-height gabled projection in penultimate bay to outer left with timber panelled door at ground; architraved, shouldered and corniced surround; large stair (?) window at 1st floor; panel inscribed ?A.R.T? centred in gablehead. Sandstone plaque with carved coat-of-arms at ground in bay recessed to outer left; single window off-set to right above. Single windows at both floors in 2 bays to right of entrance (gabled upper windows breaking eaves). Small octagonal light at ground in subsequent bay to right; single window aligned above. Gabled upper window breaking eaves in penultimate bay to outer right; single windows at both floors in bay to outer right (upper window breaking eaves). Single storey range adjoined to right with panelled door at ground to left; small octagonal light to right.

NE (SIDE) ELEVATION: tripartite window in single storey, flat roofed projection at ground; 2 single windows at 1st floor.

SE (REAR) ELEVATION: full-height gabled projection off-set to right of centre with canted entrance at ground; tripartite window at 1st floor; panel dated ?1966? centred in gablehead. Single windows at ground in remaining 3 bays to right; 2 single windows at 1st floor. Tripartite and bipartite windows at ground in remaining bays to left; 4 irregularly spaced windows at 1st floor. Modern conservatory adjoined to outer left.

SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: single storey, lean-to porch addition at ground; 3 single windows at 1st floor; small octagonal light centred in gablehead. Courtyard to front with modern car port and L-plan cottage enclosing S side; former service quarters (now offices) enclosing N side.

12- and 18-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows; some timber casements; rooflights at rear. Grey slate, slightly bell-cast roof; iron rainwater goods. Corniced ridge stacks; cans missing.

INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

OFFICE RANGE: 1851. M-gabled, near rectangular-plan, Tudor detailed range to W of house. Coursed and tooled cream sandstone; sandstone ashlar dressings; rendered elevation to NE. Raised base course; tooled quoins; tooled long and short surrounds to chamfered openings; chamfered cills. NW (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 7-bay. Tudor-arched porch to outer left with armorial panel and date (1851) centred in gabletted parapet; timber panelled door set behind; Tudor arched surround. Single windows in 2 bays to right of entrance. 2-bay, gabled projection to right with single windows at ground; narrow opening centred in gablehead. Single windows in remaining 2 bays to outer right. SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: M gabled. Flat-roofed, single storey addition at centre with single window in bay to left; timber door to right. Bipartite window at ground in bay recessed to outer right; single window in bay recessed to outer left; narrow, round-arched openings centred in gableheads. SE (REAR) ELEVATION: taller block to right with large opening (incorporating boarded timber door) in bay to left; later opening to right. Lower, 2-bay range to left with bipartite windows in both bays. NE (SIDE) ELEVATION: single window at ground off-set to right of centre; Tudor-arched porch to outer right. Predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs; stone-coped skews. Corniced apex stack with paired square-plan flues (modern replacement to N); circular cans. INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

COURTYARD COTTAGE: coursed and tooled cream sandstone; sandstone ashlar dressings. Raised base course; tooled quoins; tooled long and short surrounds to chamfered openings; chamfered cills. NW (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: full-height gabled projection to outer left with engaged, square-plan gatepier off-set to left of centre; single window at ground to left; corbelled to square to outer right; bipartite attic window with round arched lights centred in gablehead; tapering finial. Gabled dormer in bay recessed to right; tapering finial. Modern kennels to right; modern car port to left. NE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: boarded timber door at ground to right; small-paned door in bay to left. SE (REAR) ELEVATION: gabled bay to right with tripartite window at ground (taller central light); stepped hoodmould; bipartite window with round-arched lights aligned at 1st floor. Single window at ground in bay to outer left; small single window in gabled dormer above; tapering finial. SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: single opening centred at ground; bipartite window with round-arched lights at 1st floor. Timber sash and case and casement windows. Grey slate roof; stone coped skews; sandstone apex stack with corniced square-plan flue; single circular can. INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

SUNDIAL: sandstone sundial set to SE of house. Square-plan base; tapering octagonal shaft; cross-shaped dial with inscribed concave faces; surmounting ball-shaped finial with numerical inscriptions.

Statement of Interest

Built to replace a previous Charterhall House, commissioned by Richard Trotter (b. 1797) and designed by John Lessels (1808-83). The office range and courtyard cottage are all that remain of this earlier structure but it can be assumed that the date displayed on the former (1851) corresponded with that of the house. The letters set in the armorial panel stand for Richard Trotter, owner of Charterhall from 1825, and noted by Rutherfurd as one of Fogo?s principal landed proprietors. Designed by the Edinburgh-based Cairns, Ford & Yuill (also responsible for the nearby Ladykirk House) the new Charterhall retains much of its original detailing, remaining a good example of its unusual, later 20th century Arts and Crafts type - such a late survival of the style being of particular interest. An irregular-plan walled garden (containing a balustered sundial and tennis court) is set to the SW of the house. See separate list entries for the gate lodges and associated quadrant walls, gatepiers and gates to the SE (John Lessels) and W (John Smith), as well as the stable courtyard to the NW (John Lessels).

External Links

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