31 Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh

John Kinross of Kinross and Tarbolton, 1898. 2-storey and basement, 3-bay, Scottish 17th century villa, sited on steeply falling ground, with 1st floor breaking eaves in gabled dormerheads and with single storey and part basement steeply pitched service block to E. Rake-jointed rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings. Roll-moulded surrounds to windows, stop-chamfered at cills; generously proportioned at ground and S elevation. Principal gables crowstepped with beak skewputts.

N ELEVATION: 3 2-storey bays with advanced bay of single storey, steeply pitched, gabled service wing to outer left. Roll-moulded surround to corniced door at centre, teak door, and carved armorial panel above (blank centrepiece); window in bay to right at ground and to both bays at 1st floor. Gabled bay to outer right with window to each floor. Trapezoid pediment to 1st floor window chamfered angle to right with narrow windows to ground and 1st floors and corbelled parapet with blank panel above. Service bay to outer left ashlar mullioned bipartite window and blank under eaves.

S ELEVATION: 3-bay. Full-height canted bay to left, corbelled to square in gablehead at 1st floor; French windows to basement with large window of principal floor above bearing scroll-flanked panel over cornice and encroaching upon 1st floor window with carved fleuron above; windows to splayed returns at principal floor. 2 stair windows at centre, upper window larger. Windows of bay to outer right in advanced gabled panel; principal floor window with scroll-flanked panel detailed as in bay to outer left and fleuron above at 1st floor window as above.

W ELEVATION: tall lop-sided gabled bay to outer left with ogee panel carved at chimney gablehead. 3 windows to basement at centre and 2 1st floor windows. Outer bay to right with slightly advanced and shouldered chimneybreast with wall-mounted sundial to outer angle above basement.

E ELEVATION: 3-bay, M-gabled and bridged at centre. Gable of service block advanced to outer right with door flanked by windows and window in gablehead; door and window on return to S; oculus to main house above. Window to each floor in bay to centre; moulded bridging at wallhead. Window at 1st floor in bay to outer left in corbelled panel. Small-pane and multi-pane glazing patterns in generous sash and case windows. Westmoreland slates; ashlar ridge tiles. Moulded coping to gablehead and wallhead stacks.

INTERIOR: fine original decoration retained, joinery work by Scott Morton & Co. cabinetmaker; decorative plasterwork cornices and ceiling details; built-in cupboards and display cabinets; well-crafted oak dressers to pantry.

BOUNDARY WALLS STEPS GATES GATEPIERS AND RAILINGS: all original. Saddleback ashlar coping to coursed sandstone rubble boundary walls, 16" in diameter; panelled dies with moulded coping; ashlar steps to side elevations. Panelled ashlar corniced piers to railings to entrance elevation; decorative wrought-iron railings by Thomas Hadden.