Home Farm, Dalmeny House, Edinburgh

Home Farm, part of the Dalmeny House estate in Edinburgh, dates from the early to mid-19th century. It is a substantial complex of farm buildings arranged in three parallel ranges, with houses situated at the northeast ends: Foresters House to the south, Mechanics House in the centre, and Bothy to the north. The farm has undergone various alterations and modern additions. The buildings are predominantly constructed of squared and snecked rubble with droved ashlar dressings, featuring chamfered arrises, long and short quoins.

Foresters House is a mid-19th century, two-storey rectangular farmhouse with a single-storey addition to the west. The east-facing elevation has two bays, with windows at ground and first floor levels. A single window is centrally placed on the north and south elevations, with a blind window aligned above the ground-floor window on the south side. It has a jerkin-headed roof to the north and south, and a single-storey addition to the west, featuring a piended roof with a piended cat-slide, a window to the north, a piended porch in the re-entrant angle, and a window to the south, with a range extending to the west.

Mechanics House is a two-storey farmhouse with a distinctive M-gabled south (entrance) elevation. A modern timber door is located to the right of centre, flanked by windows, with windows placed centrally in the gables at the first floor. The east-facing elevation has two bays, one window to the right on the ground floor and windows in the bays at the first floor, with a chimney gable breaking the eaves centrally, and a range extending to the west.

The Bothy is a single-storey and attic building, the south elevation of which projects from the main range. It features a modern timber door in the re-entrant angle, a window to the left at ground level, and a window centred in the gable above. The east-facing elevation is three bays, with regular fenestration at ground level and a window in the gable centred above. A single-storey red brick addition is attached to the outer right. Small triangular lead ventilators are present on the roof. A range extends to the west.

The farm ranges consist of various single-storey and single-storey-and-loft buildings, some with jerkin roofs and ridge ventilators. These include cartsheds with four segmental arches, windows aligned above the piers, a single loft window raised in a gablet to the right, and a U-plan timber-sided stable block with an asbestos tile roof and ridge ventilators. A vehicle shed with steel stanchions is attached to the north range, and a single-storey and loft section with a pigeon loft centred in the gable is part of the central range. A rubble wall with semicircular coping connects the central and south ranges. Various animal sheds with jerkin-headed roofs are located on the south side.

The windows are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows, and 12-pane casement windows with slender timber mullions. The roofs are covered with graded grey slate, featuring overhanging eaves and exposed rafter ends. A variety of ridge and gablehead stacks are present, constructed with coped ashlar and circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

The gatepiers are constructed of droved ashlar circular drums with semicircular caps.