Old Sauchie (Tower House) Including the Greathall, the Chambers and 1-5 (Inclusive Nos) the Stables and the Cottars with Adjoining Walled Garden, and Boundary Walls, Airdrie North, Stirling

Description

Late 16th century tower house; extended early 17th; late 17th/early 18th century wing adjoined to NW; J A Leask Architects repaired tower house, circa 2002; Martin Williams, Modern Space Company Limited repaired and remodelled ancillary buildings, circa 2000. 3-storey and attic L-plan tower house with 2-storey addition to NW gable and further 2-storey, rectangular plan wing (known as The Greathall and The Chambers), on ground falling steeply away to NE; 2-storey, roughly 8-bay courtyard-plan former stables and single storey, 4-bay cottage and walled garden on lower ground to N.

OLD SAUCHIE (TOWER HOUSE), THE GREATHALL AND THE CHAMBERS: random rubble with dressed stone margins; harled to rear and NE gable of adjoining wing. Cavetto-moulded eaves course. Some gun hole loops, pistol holes and peep holes. Crowstepped gables with cavetto skewputts and coped stacks with replacement cans. SW elevation: entrance in re-entrant angle with roll moulded architrave and flanked by gun loops; blocked opening above entrance between 1st and 2nd floors. SE elevation: stairtower at centre, corbelled out at 1st floor; gable to right of stairtower; entrance to left. NE elevation: flanking corbelled turrets at attic. Former kitchen wing adjoined to NW gable of tower house: pair of windows at 1st floor breaking wallhead with catslide roof; gable to left with window opening (formerly entrance) at ground floor. Further 2-storey former estate offices range to left: irregular fenestration, some blocked openings; entrance off centre to left and in re-entrant angle with 2-leaf timber doors; former entrance off centre to right blocked to form window.

INTERIOR (partially seen 2012): remodelled to dwellings circa 2000.

Replacement multipane leaded windows over timber panels to tower; multipane glazing in timber sash and case windows to adjoining wing. Replacement pitch roof to tower; conical roof to stairtower and turrets; grey slates with later roof lights. Squared rubble and coped ridge stacks to adjoining wing.

THE STABLES (at NS 77899 88417): 2 storeys with single storey NE range. Rubble with dressed stone margins. Segmental-arched pend entrances with raised keystone. Crowstepped gables. Stone setts to courtyard. SW (principal) elevation: assymetrical; pend entrance to centre with entrance doors to return; first floor windows set close to eaves. NW elevation: former pend entrance to right now glazed. NE elevation: roughly 4-bay range to left and 2-bay range to right connected by circa 2000 glazed section; range to right with flat-arched opening and later glazed and timber doors. Predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Pitched roof, grey slates, some later rooflights. Coped ridge stacks with circular cans.

Courtyard elevation: irregular fenestration; crowstepped pedimented dormer to left of SW range; some blocked openings and some later openings at 1st floor with raised ashlar margins; ground floor openings to SW enlarged to form entrance. Stone forestairs to entrances in SW and NW ranges. Wide, flat-arched openings at ground floor to NE and SE ranges, with later glazing.

INTERIOR (seen 2012): subdivided into 5 dwellings circa 2000. Some original fireplaces. Engaged capped ashlar gatepiers and inspection pit to interior of No 3.

THE COTTARS WITH ADJOINING WALLED GARDEN (at NS 77920 88417): random rubble with droved stone margins; harled to rear and side elevations with predominantly painted margins. SW (principal) elevation with bargeboarded pedimented dormer breaking eaves and 2-leaf timber entrance door to right. Multipane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Pitched roof, grey slates; coped ridge stacks with circular cans. Square-plan walled garden adjoined to SE: random rubble walls with ashlar copes; small arched opening to NW wall.

BOUNDARY WALLS: random rubble walls to SE and NW of tower house, that to NW with squared cope.

Statement of Interest

Old Sauchie is a fine example of a late 16th century tower house which has been sympathetically restored in the early 21st century. The later additions to the tower house as well as the early 19th century stables and cottars are important ancillary components of the Sauchie Estate which demonstrate the development of the estate as well as enhancing the architectural and historic setting of the tower house.

Old Sauchie tower house was originally freestanding until the early 17th century when it was extended by a 2-storey addition to the N gable to provide a large kitchen and additional dwelling space. A 2-storey office range was added in the late 17th/early 18th century.

In the early 19th century the tower fell into ruin following the construction of Sauchie House to the NW (replaced by Sauchieburn House in 1890, subsequently replaced in 1975). During the 19th and early 20th century the estate was developed and improved by the addition of ancillary buildings, such as the stables and cottars, as well as the laying out of gardens. The estate offices adjacent to the tower continued to be used as part of the Sauchie Estate.

In the early 21st century these offices, former stable block and cottars building were converted and sub-divided into dwellings. The ruinous tower house was also repaired around the same time.

Statutory address and description revised 2012. Formerly listed as "Old Sauchie".

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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