Forglen House

Forglen House is a substantial, three-storey Tudor mansion dating to circa 1840, designed by James Smith of Aberdeen. The house was built on the site of, and possibly incorporates elements of, an earlier structure. It exhibits picturesque, asymmetrical massing, featuring corner and square towers arranged around a central courtyard.

The exterior is constructed of rubble whinstone, with harling and cream-coloured ashlar dressings. Turriff sandstone dressings are used on the rear elevation. A moulded string course runs between the first and second floors on the south-east and north-east fronts. The first-floor windows are taller in the principal rooms. The windows are characterised by ashlar mullions and transoms. Canted bays are topped with cornices and parapets, adorned with ball finials. Dormerheads break the eaves, also with gabled detailing. All windows feature stone mullions and transoms.

The south-east elevation, the principal facade, is nearly symmetrical. It has an E-plan frontage featuring a central canted bay that extends southwards, along with a four-storey octagonal tower. Jacobethan gables define the outer advanced bays. The central canted bay has a shaped gable and corbelled obelisk finials. The main entrance is located to the left of the centre, within a projecting Tudor porch. The round-arched doorway is framed by a stepped hoodmould that contains a date plaque, flanked by polygonal towers with ogee finials and a crenellated blocking course featuring a central armorial.

A stair tower rises behind the main block, containing a lighting stair. It is square in plan, with three-light, round-headed, hoodmoulded windows, a balustraded parapet, and corner ball finials.

The south-west elevation likely incorporates an earlier house, displaying a five-bay arrangement and terminating in an advanced gabled bay adjoining the octagonal tower to the south and a pyramidal-roofed square tower to the west. An off-centre, two-storey canted bay is also present.

The north-east elevation is seven bays wide and terminates in a three-storey square tower with a polygonal roof and finial. The central two bays are flanked by an advanced and gabled bay to the left, canted over three floors, and a two-storey canted bay to the right.

The north-west elevation is irregular, likely incorporating the remains of an earlier house with a round stair tower at its centre. An advanced gable end is located to the outer right, with a flat-roofed, columned porch set into the re-entrant angle. A reset armorial panel is built into the tower to the left. Single-storey service ranges are attached at right angles, and built into a bank opposite, creating a paved service court.

The windows are casement types with four-pane glazing. The roof is covered with grey slates, incorporating ashlar coped skews with bracket skewputts, and features coped ashlar stacks with grouped corniced flues.

The interior of Forglen House has not yet been inspected, as the owners reside abroad. A visit is planned for May.