Hermitage Of Braid, Braid Road, Edinburgh

Robert Burn, 1785. 2-storey and attic 3-bay castellated house, basement to rear. Cream sandstone, droved ashlar front, coursed rubble with droved ashlar dressings to rear and sides. Base course; moulded impost course to ground floor; bracketted eaves; corbelled crenellated battlement with small pepperpot bartizans to front and rear; ashlar mullions.

SW (FRONT) ELEVATION: symmetrical; advanced central bay accessed by 3 steps with round-arched entrance door in 2-storey recessed panel, 2-leaf panelled door with semi-circular fanlight with intricated astragal pattern; single window at 1st floor above; cornice and crenellated battlement breaking eaves. Outer bays with Venetian windows at ground floor; single windows at 1st floor above.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: 3-storey with blank basement level; projecting central bay encasing staircase with tripartite window with narrow outer lights at ground floor. Venetian window at 1st floor; tripartite window above; double bracketted eaves with crenellated battlement breaking eaves. Outer bays with Venetian windows at ground floor; single windows at 1st floor above.

SE ELEVATION: 3-storey; 4-bay; basement level with tripartite windows to inner bays; secondary doors to outer bays. Ground floor level with tall round-arched windows to each bay. 1st floor with single windows to each bay. Later pedimented bipartite timber dormer to left of centre.

NW ELEVATION: 3-storey; 5-bay; single windows to basement level. Ground floor with round-arched windows to centre and outer bays, bays to left and right of centre with single windows. 1st floor with single windows to each bay. Small-pane timber sash adn case windows, square 9-pane at 1st floor. Slate piend and platformed roof with lead flashings; 2 central stacks. INTERIOR: deeply coved ceiling to hall with plasterwork and dentilled cornice; original woodwork throught with panelled doors and dado panelling; en suite drawing and dining room at ground floor with fluted and panelled pilasters, surrounds and shuttters to Venetian windows; extensive plasterwork with cornices, garlanded frieze. egg and dart cornice and festooned plasterwork panels to window surrounds; fireplaces to both rooms with black marble slip and timber surround of carved garlands and festoon; butler's pantry with dumb waiter; basement kitchen with triple arch fireplace with 19th century cast-iron range with round bread oven with decoratively cast door; scale-and platt stair with cast-iron balustrade and timber hand rails.