Description

1870, extended circa 1970. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay villa with fine interior. Coursed rubble with contrasting roughly squared quoins and droved margins. Round-headed, keystoned and pilastered porch. Stone mullions and chamfered arrises.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: centre bay with steps and flanking dies leading to flat-roofed corniced porch with 4-panelled timber door and semicircular plate glass fanlight, window above breaking eaves into finialled dormerhead; bipartite window to ground in bay to right with 1st floor window as above; 3-light canted window with blocking course and blind shield under stepped semicircular moulding in bay to left of centre at ground, bipartite window above and single window in gablehead. Single storey extension projecting to outer left.

SE ELEVATION: gabled elevation with window to outer right at each floor and further small window in gablehead. Pitch roof of low garage extension clasping outer right angle.

NE (LOWER OAKFIELD) ELEVATION: asymmetrical elevation with variety of roof heights of ancillaries forming former courtyard infilled with garage extension; Myrtlebank Cottage to right and boundary wall abutting to outer left.

NW ELEVATION: gabled bay with variety of elements including Myrtlebank Cottage to outer left and extension to outer right.

4-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with full complement of polygonal cans. Overhanging eaves with plain bargeboarding and kingposts. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.

INTERIOR: fine decorative scheme in place including unusually elaborate and detailed plasterwork ceilings, panelling, skirtings and door surrounds. Tesselated floor to hall with etched glass to screen door, dog-leg staircase with timber balusters and ball-finialled square newels. Panelled plasterwork to coffered ceiling over stair with guilloche bands giving way to ropework moulding and frieze with 4 diminutive masks in roundels, all surmounted by elaborate egg and dart moulding and etched glass in rectangular small-pane cupola. Black marble, timber and cast-iron fireplaces.

MYRTLEBANK COTTAGE: 2-storey, 2-bay house with crenellated porch.

SW ELEVATION: crenellated porch with panelled timber door, plate glass fanlight and small window on return to left, window above breaking eaves into dormerhead. Ellangowan abutting at outer right.

NW ELEVATION: advanced gabled bay to right with bipartite window at ground and single window in gablehead, recessed bay to left with window to ground and further window above breaking eaves into pedimented dormerhead, small pitch-roofed timber porch projecting in re-entrant angle to right.

NE (LOWER OAKFIELD) ELEVATION: plain gabled bay with boundary wall abutting at outer right and ancillary abutting at outer left.

4-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Coped ashlar and dry-dashed stacks with polygonal cans; overhanging eaves with plain bargeboarding.

INTERIOR: decorative plasterwork cornice and stair window with coloured margin.

Statement of Interest

Listed in consideration of its fine interior, Ellangowan is built on land feued from Mr Butter, and later sold by James G Fergus Esq of Baledmund in favour of Miss Catherine Macbeth, the house is thought to have been erected by a master plasterer who lived in Myrtlebank Cottage whilst letting out Ellangowan as a holiday home. A number of speculative buildings were erected from mid century onward when Pitlochry developed rapidly as a healthy holiday town approved by Queen Victoria's physician. The remarkable plaster masks (see above) are duplicated in niches at Wellwood, West Moulin Road (listed separately), and putti masks in similar niches can be seen at Dundarave, Strathview Terrace and Dun-Donnachaidh, Knockard Road (also listed separately). Building Bye-Law Plans record and application for 'alterations and additions' to Myrtle Cottage, Lower Oakfield for Alex McLean by P Graham & Sons, Builders, Bankfoot.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata IDs Q77774537 Q77774540

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

• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy