Druim, 63 Bonaly Road, Edinburgh

Druim, 63 Bonaly Road, Edinburgh

A 2-storey Arts and Crafts villa designed by Norman McGlashan in 1906–7, with alterations by Dick Peddie & Walker Todd in 1923. The building is asymmetrical and idiosyncratic in character, featuring a turret, timber balcony, polygonal chimneys, a swept roof with broad eaves, and painted render with bull-faced red sandstone dressings to the main door and larger ground floor windows. The fenestration is irregular throughout.

The west (entrance) elevation features a gabled section to the left and a turret to the outer right. An oak-panelled door with small-pane fanlight sits within a bull-faced sandstone depressed-arch doorway with splayed jambs to the outer left. Pyramidal capped buttresses flank the door, curved at the base to form low walls. To the right of the door are an oblong window and a bipartite window below a depressed relieving arch, with paired square casements above and a semicircular light to the gable apex. A flower finial crowns the gable ridge. The turret has a tripartite window to the ground floor with bull-faced red sandstone mullions and transom, and an arched window with flanking square windows above. A decorative wrought-iron weathervane with cut-out lettering reading "DRUIM" tops the turret.

The south (principal/garden) elevation is 3-bay. A timber balcony under the eaves to the centre is supported on timber posts. Oculus windows occupy the centre at both floors. A timber-boarded bay at both floors to the outer left is flush with the balcony and contains two sets of tripartite windows to each floor. A canted bay to the outer right has transomed and mullioned windows to the ground floor and square lights to the first floor, with doors to the inner facet at both levels leading to the balcony and garden.

The north elevation displays irregular fenestration across 7 bays. An advanced stair bay at the centre has a continuous window under a catslide roof, with a small arched dormer above. A 2-leaf timber-panelled door to the left has glazed upper panels and a slightly advanced rendered surround, flanked by windows. A chimney is corbelled out at first-floor level with beaking eaves to the left. Square lights sit below the eaves.

The east elevation features an advanced service bay to the right with irregular fenestration; a timber-boarded door with a circular light occupies the left return. A 2-bay section to the left includes an arched dormer to the right with a window below, and a stack in the re-entrant angle. A canted bay to the outer left (as described under the south elevation) is situated here.

The building is predominantly fitted with timber casements, although some timber sash and case windows are present. Rendered chimneys stacks have circular copes and red clay cans. The roof is piended and bellcast, gabled to the west (entrance) elevation, covered in red tiles.

The interior displays notable Arts and Crafts detailing with Art Nouveau touches in the Glasgow Style. Interior doors are timber-panelled with hammered brass door furniture. The hall and staircase feature a beamed ceiling and a notable 3-leaf timber glazed draught screen to the front door with landscape pictures executed in beaded glass to the upper panels. The timber stair bannister comprises thick and thin posts with cut-out hearts; a half-landing features a circle entrance. The Drawing room and Dining room are linked by a 2-leaf timber door with a glazed upper panel featuring a geometric pattern in glass beads. Both rooms have timber cornices and original fireplaces with grey tiled surrounds interspersed with Mackintosh-style rose tiles, timber mantlepieces with glazed cupboards above. The Dining room fireplace is bowed with a polygonal black tile hearth. The Sitting room fireplace is slightly advanced with a bowed black tile hearth. Main bedrooms contain original fireplaces with simple grates, red, grey or green tiled surrounds, painted timber mantlepieces and over-mantels with arched glazed cupboards. Servants' quarters include a kitchen with an original tiled floor and some original wall-tiles; a butler's pantry with an original fitted cupboard unit; two servants' bedrooms with original fireplaces; and a pine-panelled back stair with a bell-box. The attic, originally intended as a billiard room, is lit by a sky-light.

A terraced garden to the south-west features stone retaining walls, probably dating to circa 1930. Unusual Arts and Crafts style 2-leaf wrought-iron gates stand at the bottom of the drive, flanked by harled gatepiers with concrete caps.