House And Kennels, The Glen, Traquair, Scottish Borders

Description

Circa 1880 for Sir Charles Tennant (executed by estate masons and joiners). Single storey, 2-bay, asymmetric-plan, picturesque-style estate cottage with adjoining single storey, multi-bayed, L-plan kennel and outbuilding range to rear. Coursed and squared local whinstone with broached sandstone ashlar dressings, chamfered arrises to most and tabbed quoins. Exposed rafters and barge boarded gables.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: gabled timber porch (off centre left) with heavy turned timber uprights to front, in-filled braced gablehead and exposed rafters to sides formerly with timber balustraded in-fill to lower half; timber boarded door with large ornate wrought-iron hinges within chamfered ashlar surround; to right, small scullery window. To right return, gabled end with small window to right and plain barge boards with king-post drop finial rising into spike finial; further advanced gable to right with central window and gablehead with plain barge board and small squared drop finial (due to stack behind); right return of gable with door to extreme right (leading to yard of range).

S (KENNEL) ELEVATION: single storey gabled end of main house to right containing bipartite window, overhanging roof with plain barge boarding and king post bracing, drop finial rising into pointed finial. To centre and left, slightly recessed adjoining single storey range with regular fenestration and doors (formerly divided into 3 separate areas or runs).

W (REAR) ELEVATION: to left and centre, rear arm of single storey outbuilding range, timber boarded door within ashlar surround near left; gabled end of range adjoining to right rising into gablehead stack.

N (YARD) ELEVATION: U-plan range set around former yard: house forming advanced arm to left (see E elevation); to centre, recessed single storey blind range; to right, advanced gable ended arm with 3 regularly placed timber boarded doors within ashlar surrounds on left return.

4-pane timber sash and case windows (glazing and some plans now missing to most); 3-pane casement window to scullery (now glazing). Pitched slate roof with lead riding and flashing; squared iron ventilators with pyramidal caps to roofline of rear L-plan range. Ashlar gablehead stack to N of cottage with projecting neck cope and 3 octagonal cans; taller squared roofline stack with single can (also to cottage) with similar stack to W of range. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers to cottage.

INTERIOR: original (derelict) interior with cast-iron range and stone surround to large room, decorative arched cast-iron fire back and grate with stone surround to other main room; windows with timber panelling in ingoes; plastered stone walls; original timber panelled doors; Belfast sink to small scullery.

Statement of Interest

Part of an A-Group with all other Glen Estate buildings. The Glen estate can be traced as far back as 1296 when Sarra of the Glen swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The estate remained in the family's hand until around 1512, when the grounds became fragmented and parts were sold to neighbouring landowners and families. By the 1700's, there were 2 main parts of the estate, Easter and Wester Glen. Easter Glen was sold to Alexander Allan (an Edinburgh banker) in 1796 for #10,500. At this point, the house was a fairly small plain farmhouse. His son, William Allan (Lord Provost of Edinburgh) was responsible for enlarging and extending the house, the architect being his friend William Playfair (see The Temple, listed separately); even after improvement it was still not regarded as being fit for a landowner?s principal residence. The 3,500-acre estate was bought in 1852/3 by Sir Charles Tennant, owner of the chemical works of St. Rollox, Glasgow, for #33,140. The house was by then outdated and not suited to modern family life; he commissioned David Bryce to design a baronial style house, to which a tower (also by Bryce) was added in 1874. Tennant continually improved the estate landscape (1860-1890) and was responsible for the building of the school, farm, workers' and estate cottages, walled kitchen garden and kennels making the Glen virtually self-sufficient. The cottage is similar in style to other estate buildings and is fortunate still to have the original interior and exterior plans. Sited on a hillside, it overlooks the main farmstead, workers' cottages and the walled kitchen garden. It is likely this building was resided in by a fairly high statue worker (possibly the gamekeeper lived here before the construction of the cottage and kennels near Fethan View or perhaps the farmer or even the gardener for the kitchen garden) as it provides comfortable accommodation and a large range of outbuildings and kennels. To the N of this block was an additional kennel complex and run, which would probably have housed younger dogs, whilst terriers (for ratting) or sheepdogs may have resided in the main kennels. Originally the cottage windows were painted a dark colour; the timber work of the porch and at the gableheads is green and this is likely to have been the colour used on all estate woodwork. This building follows a distinct style employed throughout the estate. There was a plentiful amount of whinstone on site in the nearby quarry and it is believed the estate masons followed a plan that was adapted to fit the needs of a specific building (for example most estate cottages follow the same general plan but are enlarged or minimised depending on how many they were to house). Listed as a good example of an estate cottage (now derelict) with attached kennel block and for their importance within an intact later 19th century estate (other estate buildings are listed separately).

External Links

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