Description

Mid 19th century shooting lodge significantly enlarged and altered in early/earlier 20th century creating a large asymmetrical 8-bay, 2-storey and attic Traditionalist Style H-plan mansion (rectangular-plan main house with T-plan service wing to rear (N) incorporating former servants' hall, servants' accommodation and kitchen).

Cement render with dressed stone openings, repaired harled section to centre bays of S elevation. Grey stone slates to main house, grey slate to service wings. Dominant S garden elevation with 2 large advanced gables to penultimate bays, smaller gable set in re-entrant angle of left gable. E elevation: near symmetrical 2-storey 3-bay main house set to left; slightly advanced gables to outerbays, modest main entrance set to right gable. Setback servants' wing to right including terminating advanced former servants' hall and accommodation block. Rear N elevation: 2-storey with full height basement servants' range; central setback section with forestairs running to door at 1st floor, slightly advanced wings to left and right, that to right with a number of doors at basement. W elevation: large gable to main house with recessed section, servants' wing setback terminating with advanced former kitchen. Variety of window designs including large tripartite windows to outer gables of S and centred at E elevations of main house, paired mullioned timber casements set within gables to S and E elevations, breaking eaves flat headed dormer windows to 1st floor of former kitchen, majority of windows throughout house being timber 12-pane sash and case windows. Interior: impressive collection of large principal ground floor rooms primarily organized to S of house, exposed oak timber doors and windows, parquet flooring, decorative stone and timber mantelpieces, simple cornices throughout, that to dining room with grapevine detailing. Dining room to W - unusual large plate glass window with concealed mechanism allowing glass pane to be lowered several inches, designed to allow post dinner cigar smoke to be dispersed. Carved oak main stair and back stair. Some original decorative tiles to former kitchen. Bedrooms at 1st and attic floors - a number of those at 1st floor with ensuite bathrooms with original 1920s bathroom fittings.

Estate Office (Former Laundry): Late 19th century T-shaped single storey and loft timber boarded and slate roofed former laundry set to N of house. 4-pane timber sash and case windows, breaking eaves gabled door to attic at principal NW elevation, gabled vents to main roof space. Large former drying area to adjacent NE, concrete posts for washing line still remaining.

Motor House: earlier 20th century single storey with basement and loft rectangular-plan motor house probably built as a stable and subsequently converted for motor cars set close to former laundry. Rendered with dressed stone openings, ashlar wallhead stack to SE, piended grey slate roof with rooflights, central decorative timber lantern crowned by weather-cock. 3 large moulded timber openings to principal SW elevation still possessing retractable timber doors. Exposed timber lined interior with car-pit and original fittings.

Statement of Interest

Although Alvie house has undergone some alterations in the later 20th century (with the conversion of the rear servant's quarters) it remains a well preserved earlier 20th century shooting lodge. The interior of the main house still contains many of the original fittings, a collection of 1920s Maple and Co bathrooms are of particular note. Alvie house was built in the mid 19th century, a photograph of around 1908 shows it to be a rather conventional building comprising of a central 2-storey and attic block with a 2-storey wing to the E. The 1903 Ordnance Survey map shows the house as a T-plan. In 1909 the building was substantially aggrandisised and altered to its current plan, with the rear servants' wing being re-organized. The main house was given its dominant gabled appearance in the late 1920s. A bothy stands near to the motor house, the bothy appears on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map, however it must have been rebuilt at the time the motor house was erected, sharing similar stylistic features - it has lost its original roof, being covered in corrugated plastic, (2004). To the NE of the bothy is an earlier 20th century stone built and slate roofed game larder which is still in use. The house in the late 19th and early 20th century was in the ownership of the famous engineer R B Whitehead, credited with developing the first fully operational torpedo, (it is reputed that a prototype torpedo was stored at Alvie). In 1924 the house was sold to Lady Carnarvon, she converted the small farm steading to the E of the house to a model dairy farm, the steading still stands with the square-angled dairy she had built (the dairy is unused, 2004). In 1927 the house passed into the ownership of Alexander Williamson, younger son of Lord Forres. Williamson substantially altered the appearance of the house including the addition of the crow-stepped gables, changing the appearance of the windows and remodeling the main door - essentially giving the house its Traditionalist appearance.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17814240

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)