Description

Thomas Leadbetter, 1895-98. Asymmetrical 2-storey, irregular-plan house in Scottish 17th century revival style, with 2-storey and attic, near rectangular-plan service wing to E; single storey ancillary structures forming courtyard beyond; single storey stable block at rear. Main block comprising painted harl; cream sandstone ashlar dressings. Squared and snecked bull-faced sandstone base course; architraved cill course dividing floors; overhanging mutuled eaves. Long and short surrounds to chamfered openings; sandstone mullions; flush cills. Painted harl to service wing; overhanging boarded timber eaves. Single storey, 3-bay square-plan summer house adjoining remains of St Mary's Convent to N.

NW (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay house with further polygonal wing set at angle to left; service wing and ancillary structures recessed to outer left. Tripartite doorpiece off-set to right of centre with part-glazed timber panelled door, narrow sidelights, panelled pilasters, cornice; round-arched pedimented window breaking eaves at 1st floor (dated '1898'). Single windows at both floors in bay to outer right. 2 single windows at ground in bay to left of entrance; Venetian window aligned at 1st floor. Polygonal wing to outer left with single window and 4-light canted window at ground in W face, triangular-pedimented window breaking eaves at 1st floor to right; single windows at both floors in remaining elevations to N, NE and E. SERVICE WING: irregularly fenestrated 2-storey block adjoined to left. ANCILLARY STRUCTURE: single storey, 5-bay range to outer left.

SE (REAR) ELEVATION: 4-bay. Single windows at ground flanking centre (architraved, ogee-shaped lintels); segmental-arched caps to single windows breaking eaves at 1st floor (flanking central wallhead stack). 5-light canted window at ground in projecting bay to left; swept pediment to bipartite window breaking eaves above. Bipartite windows at both floors in canted bay to right of centre (swept pediment to upper opening); single windows at both floors in flanking returns. SERVICE WING: irregularly fenestrated service wing adjoined to right. ANCILLARY STRUCTURES: single storey ranges to outer right.

SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: 3-bay. Single window at ground in bay to outer left; round-arched pedimented window breaking eaves above. Single windows at ground in remaining bays recessed to right.

NE (SIDE) ELEVATION: symmetrical service wing with single windows at 1st floor flanking centre; single attic light set between wallhead stacks. Single storey ancillary structures adjoined at ground, forming courtyard; 2-leaf iron gates; decorative iron arch. Garage block advanced to left; stable block recessed to outer left.

12-, 15- and 18-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slate piend and platform roof. Original iron rainwater goods. Sandstone coping to harled wallhead stacks (battered in part); various circular cans.

INTERIOR: majority original details intact. Ground floor reception rooms with boarded timber floors; timber dado panelling; timber panelled doors with pilastered and corniced surrounds. Decorative cornices; some decorative plasterwork to ceilings. Various timber and marble fireplaces. Timber panelled stair with square-plan, panelled newels; timber uprights; timber handrails. Remainder not seen 1998.

SUMMER HOUSE: single storey, square-plan. Harl-pointed sandstone rubble; sandstone ashlar dressings. SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: part-glazed timber door at centre; engaged flanking columns; gabled porch on columnar supports to front; small, round-arched windows in bays to outer left and right. SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: Venetian window at centre. Small-pane glazing in timber windows. Red tile pyramidal roof; tapering finial. INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

BOUNDARY WALLS, QUADRANT WALLS, PIERS, GATEPIERS AND GATES: rubble sandstone walls partially enclosing site (mutual in part with graveyard). Coped and coursed sandstone walls flanking entrance to NW. Corniced, square-plan outer piers; pyramidal caps. Paired gatepiers (corniced outer, plain inner); pyramidal caps; spearheaded iron pedestrian and vehicular gates. Low coped walls flanking entrance to NE (sinuous wall to N). Square-plan gatepiers flanking garden entrance to N; circular-plan gatepiers flanking main entrance; urn finials; iron gates.

Statement of Interest

Commissioned by James Lewis Greig. Built to replace an earlier 'Eccles House' originally set to the N (see 1858 Ordnance Survey map), just to the south of the remains of St Mary's Convent (see separate designation record: scheduled monument 8232). A well detailed, high quality and remarkably intact example of the work of Thomas Leadbetter (d.1931). The south elevation depicted in ACADEMY ARCHITECTURE, 1898, is virtually the same as that which remains today.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17852199

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

• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)