Cramond House, Kirk Cramond, Cramond, Edinburgh

Cramond House, Kirk Cramond, Cramond, Edinburgh

This is a substantial house of circa 1680, substantially enlarged and remodelled in phases, with significant additions around 1760 and 1818, further alterations by architect William Burn around 1850, and restoration and conversion circa 1991.

The original structure is a 2-storey tower house with attic and basement on a rectangular plan. Around 1760, a single-storey classical entrance range with basement was added to the east, creating a T-plan. The builder Charles Black added a 2-storey western range with basement in 1818, resulting in an H-plan configuration.

The circa 1680 block is rendered with polished yellow sandstone surrounds to chamfered openings. The north elevation has 3 bays with single windows at ground and first floors, with bipartite box-dormers to the outer bays. The south elevation is similarly arranged with single square windows at basement level to the outer bays, a tripartite window at ground floor in the outer left bay, and bipartite box-dormers to the outer bays.

The circa 1760 entrance range to the east features coursed stugged yellow sandstone with raised, polished sandstone surrounds. Its east elevation is symmetrically arranged with swept ashlar stairs to a pedimented central bay containing a 2-leaf, part-glazed timber panelled door in an architraved surround with a segmental-arched pediment above. Single windows flank this at ground level, with square basement windows in recessed outer wings. The north elevation has a single centred window at ground level. A distinctive random rubble screen wall encloses a service court to the north, featuring regularly disposed panelled and corniced piers with polished coping, and polished red sandstone oval and diamond detailing to the balustrade. A small square-plan columnar belfry surmounts the coping to the northwest, comprising a keystoned round-arched opening and a trefoil-headed scrolled pediment with a bell in situ. The south elevation has a polished sandstone stair leading to a round-arched window centred at ground level, flanked by a banister matching the screen wall detail.

The circa 1818 rear range is regularly fenestrated in all bays at basement, ground and first floors, with a conical roof to the 2-bay central bow. The builder is recorded as Charles Black.

Throughout the house, windows comprise timber sash and case windows to round-arched openings in the east wing, 2-pane timber sash and case dormer windows, and 12-pane timber sash and case windows to remaining openings. The roof is graded grey slate with rendered and coped apex stacks to the east and west original house, coped rendered ridge stacks to the north and south west wing, and octagonal cans to all.

The interior was extensively remodelled circa 1760. The vestibule features an unusual foliate ceiling rose, reeded and banded frieze, highly decorative cornice, and a broken segmental-arched pediment above the doorway, with wooden shutters to all windows. The square stairwell in the 1680 house comprises stone treads, mahogany handrail, oak newels, and painted oak panels between balusters adorned with foliate carving, surmounted by a glazed cupola. The basement is barrel-vaulted with a stone floor.

William Burn's alterations around 1850 included the addition of a square-balustered stair to the circa 1760 block and a random rubble sandstone screen wall enclosing the service court to the north.