Nether Ardgrain

Nether Ardgrain is a farmhouse, likely dating around 1664, although with significant later alterations, particularly in 1751. It stands on a site linked to a barony established by Royal Charter in 1528, and the house was initially erected by John Kennedy of Kermuck who purchased the barony in 1629, and subsequently reconstructed or rebuilt by John Edward Bean.

The house is two storeys with a dormerless attic, built with harled walls and skewputts, displaying steeply battered walls. The south front is approximately symmetrical, with a slightly projecting central gable. The roll-moulded doorpiece features an arched panel inscribed with a quotation from Virgil ("HOW HAPPY WOULD THE HVSBANDMAN BE IF HE KNEW HIS OWN GOOD [VIRGIL] LET IMPROVEMENTS AND LIBERTY FLOVRISH.") and a sundial above. There is one window to each side of the centre gable, with those on the east side placed asymmetrically, all chamfered. A single-storey kitchen wing extends at a right angle to the southwest.

Inside, the woodwork dates from 1751. Original chimney-pieces remain at the first floor level, including one from the 17th or 18th century, and another dating to around 1800. A column-balustered staircase is also present. A ground floor room on the southeast side formerly had a chimney-piece set into a southwest corner.

The precise dating of the house is complex; A.G.R. Mackenzie suggested the 1664 date may relate to a refitted house with a raised door by Bean. The lintel is of quarried granite, the lower jambs of surface granite, and the upper jambs of freestone. The steep batter of the walls, including that of the centre gable, and the roll-moulded doorpiece are the features that distinguish the structure. Otherwise, its appearance would be consistent with a mid-18th century date.