Longhaven House

The property comprises a walled garden with fountain, and associated ancillary buildings, situated within the grounds of Longhaven House, dating to around 1860 and potentially later.

Longhaven House is a tall, two-storey house of three bays arranged in a U-plan, with a piend roof and classical detailing. The exterior is constructed of stugged red granite with contrasting granite ashlar dressings, featuring long and short quoins, a deep base, band courses, and an eaves cornice. Segmental-headed window openings are present, along with a roll-moulded doorpiece. Stone mullions are incorporated into the design.

The east (principal) elevation is dominated by a central bay with a broad, pilastered doorway leading to a two-leaf panelled timber door and plate glass fanlight, sheltered by a consoled canopy. A plain banded balcony is positioned above a bipartite window, featuring a column mullion. Flanking bays include canted windows at ground floor level, leading to plain banded balconies and widely-spaced bipartite windows at first floor.

The west elevation features two prominent piended bays, each with a tall single window at ground floor and a bipartite window at first floor. A later porch is located to the outer left, and a bay to the right incorporates two additional small windows at ground floor. A low link connects to a narrow central bay containing a part-glazed timber door. A tall tripartite stair window is set back above, with single windows to each return at first floor.

The north and south elevations mirror the design of the east elevation.

The majority of windows contain plate glass glazing within timber sash and case frames, although some multi-pane glazing patterns have been retained to the west and south. The stair window features coloured glass. The roof is covered in grey slates, with coped ashlar stacks and polygonal cans. Square-section cast-iron downpipes are fitted, along with decorative rainwater hoppers and fixings.

The interior boasts fine decorative detail, including decorative plasterwork, marble (some pink Peterhead marble), and timber fire surrounds, some with cast-iron grates and tiled cheeks. Features include architraved doors, carved wood curtain pelmets, dado rails, and timber shutters. A screen door leads to a terrazzo floor and a fireplace with marble columns in antis, leading to a stair hall. This hall houses a timber dog-leg staircase, decorative cast-iron balusters, and an oil-painted mural frieze depicting hunting scenes by C S Bull. The stair window incorporates a monogrammed ‘JBS’ in the centre light. A library features a painted frieze, also likely by C S Bull, depicting hunting scenes. Original bathroom fittings are retained, including a cast-iron bath with claw feet and a shower cubicle.

Ancillary buildings comprise a small courtyard to the west, including rectangular-plan structures built with snecked rubble and retaining some grey slates. A cottage has been partially converted into a garage, while a stable, tack room and byre retain boarded timber walls, a cast-iron fireplace, and some tack room fittings.

The walled garden, approximately one acre in size, is enclosed by semicircular-coped rubble walls, breached in places, and contains the remains of a circular ashlar fountain.

Boundary walls and gatepiers are constructed of square-section stugged ashlar, set on rock-faced bases with chamfered arrises and moulded octagonal copes. Truncated quadrant walls with rock-faced coping stones are also retained.