Description

Circa 1764. 2 storey, 3 bay, rectangular plan traditional house. Tooled rubble with broached dressings. Long and short quoins; splayed reveals to 1st floor of S elevation.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: near symmetrical; chamfered doorway to centre of ground floor; timber door with 5 pane fanlight; 19th century bipartite windows to flanking bays. Regular fenestration to 1st floor. Single storey, droved, coursed sandstone screen wall to right; chamfered doorway to centre; boarded timber door; polished strip quoins; flat coping, swept down to right angle. Mono pitch garage with 2 leaf boarded timber doors to outer right.

E ELEVATION: symmetrical; single bay. Large, blind pointed arched opening to centre of 1st floor; raised margins and impost detail; rendered brick infill; skew blocks

N ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 3 bay; small single pane window to centre of ground floor; window to flanking bay to left; stair window to centre between ground and 1st floors; regular fenestration to left and right bays of 1st floor. Single storey, late 19th century extension advanced to outer left with corrugated iron roof; N and E elevations obscured by potting sheds of walled garden (see separate listing); glazed boarded timber door to left of right return flanked by window.

W ELEVATION: asymmetrical; window off centre to left of ground; small single pane window set in centre of gablehead.

Predominantly 12 pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof with lead ridge; ashlar skews. Harled, coped gablehead stacks with circular cans. Cast iron rainwater goods.

GATEPIERS: square plan droved, coursed, coped sandstone gatepiers with tall pyramidal caps and iron framed arch to SE of house.

INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

Statement of Interest

Undoubtedly the most unusual feature of Arniston Gardens House is the curious blind gothic window of the west elevation. The continuation of the impost detail across the blind window suggests that it was always blind. The most likely reason for having a window of this type is aesthetic. The gable of the house can be seen from the walled garden, and at one time (before the growth of the trees) was probably visible from the house, hence the eye-catching gothick window. Arniston Gardens is thought to be of similar date to the adjacent walled garden (see separate listing) which was begun about 1764, replacing William Adam's cascade. The walled garden became a market garden after World War 2, and is in use as such today.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17828949

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6