Description

Earlier 19th century. Unusual and striking picturesque single storey and attic estate cottage, prominently positioned on the N bank of the River Dee. Extended verandahs with rustic timber columns to E and W. Coursed rock faced pink granite to S, rubble granite to other elevations. Deep eaves. Symmetrical S façade with full height advanced gabled granite porch with entrance. Flanking, slightly projecting windows on stone corbels with broad piended gables breaking eaves. Tall segmental arch entrance with 2-leaf decorated timber door and fanlight above Pair of attic dormers with broad piended roofs. 20th century box dormer extension to rear.

Piended roof with ridge stacks to W and E. Rectangular coped stack bases with 2 coped diamond shafts on each. Windows currently boarded. Grey graded slates.

INTERIOR: not fully seen at time of resurvey (Nov 2005) as somewhat damaged by fire but still retains the remains of an iron stove and timber chimneypiece surround.

Statement of Interest

This is a very unusual and distinctive estate cottage set in a prominent position overlooking the River Dee and with a particularly long, low profile. It is particularly distinguished by its symmetrical verandahs, piended roofs and diamond stacks. It commands a panoramic view S across the River Dee and is widely visible from the surrounding area. Both its place in the landscape and its rustic detailing of tree trunk columns and rock faced granite give it a Picturesque quality.

This picturesque design was popular on nineteenth century estates, taking its cue from the popular "Illustrations, Observations, and Essays on Picturesque" by Sir Uvedale Price published in 1798. This encouraged landowners to reveal the landscape by using tree trunks as columns and adding to ancient buildings, rather than building uniform modern ones. Many pattern books were available with designs for estate buildings in this style. This building has design elements similar to the patterns of P. F. Robinson in his "Designs for Farm Buildings" (1830). James Henderson from Aberdeen is known to have designed some cottages on Invercauld Estate and this could be one of them, which would date it to the 1840s.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17777030

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

• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)