Stables, Larch Grove, Johnsburn Road, Balerno, Edinburgh

Stables, Larch Grove, Johnsburn Road, Balerno, Edinburgh

This is a substantial house dating to circa 1845, substantially altered and enlarged in the late 19th century with some early 20th century rear service additions. It is a 2-storey, asymmetrical, L-plan building with Renaissance details, constructed in squared, stugged sandstone with polished sandstone dressings and margins. The building features a base course, raised quoins, eaves cornice, and string course throughout.

The entrance elevation presents an L-plan main block with an entrance tower set into the re-entrant angle. A service block is recessed to the outer left, and a gabled jamb is recessed to the outer right. A broad, gabled block advanced to the outer right features a shallowly bowed window rising from ground to first floor, with a moulded string course and stone flagged roof. A window at the gablehead is topped with a ball finial. Two small multi-paned windows are positioned at ground level to the left of the left return, with a window at the centre first floor. The tall, round entrance tower has a broad eaves band and slate conical roof, crowned with a ball finial and decorative weathervane. The entrance features a Jacobethan door surround with a 2-leaf panelled door and radiating fanlight. Above this is a window with a swan-neck pediment. Narrow windows are positioned at ground and first floor levels in a bay to the left. A full-height, canted bay clasps the entrance tower immediately to its left, featuring a cast- and wrought-iron railing parapet and a bipartite dormer with broken pediment. A broad window at ground left faces right at first floor of the bay. A full-height, canted, corner bay with hexagonal slate roof and lead finial to the outer left is linked to the rear service block by a bowed, corbelled oriel over a blind recess at the re-entrant angle to the left. The service block's east elevation, recessed to the right, has a window below the oriel and windows at ground and first floor at the centre.

The north elevation displays a broad, 4-bay main block with a lower gabled jamb advanced to the outer right. The main block features a truncated gable with wallhead stacks at the outer bays, that to the right being broader. Two bays at the centre have symmetrically disposed windows, with a single window at the right attic level featuring a gabled pediment breaking the eaves. A narrow window is positioned at ground level right. A gabled bay advanced to the outer right features a canted oriel on deeply moulded corbels at first floor, with windows at ground on the outer left and at the left return.

The south elevation comprises a 3-bay main block with a canted, full-height bay to the right of centre. A door is positioned at ground outer right. Two bays closely spaced to the left feature a square-headed pend with a window above at first floor, and a bipartite window at first floor over a raised ground level to the outer left.

The rear (east) elevation is asymmetrical with rebuilding and additions at varying ground levels. A mid 19th century lower gabled jamb advanced to the outer left has a door at ground right and a canted oriel with lead roof. A concrete base is positioned to the right of the right return. A mid 19th century gabled rubble block to the right is adjoined by an early 20th century 3-bay, rendered, flat-roofed block keyed in to the right, with an outer right block advanced. A greenhouse conservatory advances at the centre. A single storey, piend-roofed block at the outer right is rendered with reconstituted stone margins and shouldered coped stacks.

Throughout the house, windows are 12-pane sash and case windows; those at ground of the main elevation are 12-pane over 2-pane sash and case windows. Rear elevation windows are plate glass sash and case windows. The roof is grey slate with lead flashings, ashlar coping to skews, and coped apex and ridge stacks with round cans.

The stables are located to the south of the house. They form a former L-plan now with some additions and alterations, constructed in rubble and painted brick with stone margins and dressings. A piend-roofed garage block is built in front of the original jamb, featuring a corbelled eaves cornice, boarded sliding garage door to the right, and a 2-leaf boarded door to the left, with a gabled bipartite dormer above. A gabled block advanced to the right features a louvered ventilator, slate bell-cast roof, boarded hoist door at the gablehead, a door to the left return, and two windows to the right return. A gabled, painted brick block built to the outer right has a sliding boarded door to the left, and a segmental-headed door and window to the right. Galvanised, gabled blocks are positioned to the outer left.

Circa 1840s gatepiers are located in the main entrance area leading to the kitchen court and stables. These are large ashlar gatepiers with a base course, cornicing, and ball finials.