Durn House, Portsoy

Later 18th century. 2-storey over raised basement, 5-bay

S facing classical house on earlier site. Ashlar frontage

and rear bowed bay, polished ashlar dressings, pinned rubble

elsewhere. Slightly advanced and pedimented centre 3 bays

fronted by later single storey projecting pedimented porch

approached by shallow splayed flight of steps. 3 closely

set 1st floor windows; blank square recess in tympanum.

Wide outer bays with Venetian window in raised ground

floor; deep band course between raised ground and 1st floor.

Pinned rubble flanks with raised basement entrance (W) and

later ground floor entrance (E) giving straight onto

stairwell. Centre projecting bowed bay at rear faced with

tooled granite ashlar and sandstone ashlar at raised ground

and 1st floors; pinned rubble elsewhere in rear elevation.

12-pane glazing. Piended platform slate roof with substantial

pair of ashlar faced corniced stacks.

Later single rear gable dormer.

INTERIOR: reset 1605 datestone in stairwall wall by doorway.

Entrance porch leads to large hall with centre plaster

ceiling rose with delicate foliated and flower design. No

other plaster work of note survives in house. Staircase

at right (E) with decorative cast-iron balusters to 1st

floor landing, plain stick balusters to attic. Raised

and fielded panelled doors.

Some contemporary style chimneypieces, but all appear

later replacements. Decorative cast-iron basket grate in

parlour, carved wooden chimneypiece in drawing room.

GATEPIERS: pair simple mid 19th century square gatepiers

with shaped pyramidal caps; pair spearhead cast-iron gates.