Castle Gogar, 180 Glasgow Road, Edinburgh

Castle Gogar is a Grade A listed building located at 180 Glasgow Road, Edinburgh. The main house is a four-storey and garret L-plan baronial mansion, probably designed by William Ayton in 1625, with circa 1700 extensions and later 19th century additions. The jamb is joined to the main block only at the southeast corner.

The main house is constructed of harled rubble with honey-coloured sandstone dressings and features painted window margins, crowstepped gables, a string course, and pedimented dormerheads. The south elevation presents the gable of the main block to the right, with windows symmetrically disposed at the centre from ground to third floor. Two-stage turrets with candle-snuffer roofs occupy the corners, featuring continuous moulded corbelling and ball finials; the right turret corbels from above the ground floor, while the left corbels from above the first floor window. A decorative lozenge-type string course divides the turret stages, with a moulded eaves cornice above. A blocked small rectangular opening sits to the right of the ground floor window. The entrance to the main house is located at the left return, with a low studded wood door featuring a grid pattern and modern angle lantern lamps to either side. Above the door is a blank wallplane and a tall corniced wallhead stack. A blocked window occupies the principal floor to the right of the door, with a window above featuring a broken-apex oval-pedimented dormerhead and pyramidal finial. The dormerhead pediment displays the monograms IC and HS (John Cowper and his wife) and the date 1625.

A canted three-stage stair-tower stands in the re-entrant angle between the jamb and main block, corbelled to square at eaves level with a balustraded parapet. A blind arrowslit at ground level in the centre of a chamfered bay is topped by a window directly beneath arrow-shaped corbelling. Windows are asymmetrically disposed to right and left. A string course divides the stages, with a blocked opening directly above the upper string course. A flat-roofed single storey projection at ground level fronts the left bay, with windows symmetrically disposed in the floors above. The pediment matches that of the main house, displaying the date 1625 and a monogram. A circa 1700 single storey wing extends to the west, with a lower lean-to passageway linked to the tower and two barred windows on the south elevation. This wing connects to a near-contemporary two-storey cottage to the left, aligned north-south, forming an L-plan range and entrance court.

The east elevation features the turret to the outer left and a three-bay main block at centre, with a taller round tower advanced to the outer right at the northeast corner. Windows in the outer bays of the main block are symmetrically disposed with gabled dormerheads. A barred window occupies the ground level to the outer right, with a single window at second floor centre. The round tower displays a conical roof and moulded eaves cornice, with windows to the northeast symmetrically placed from principal to third floor. A blocked opening sits at ground level.

The north elevation shows the round tower to the outer left, with symmetrically placed windows from ground to third floor to the southwest. The gable of the main block occupies the right side, featuring a barred window at ground, a principal floor window at centre, and second and third floor windows placed to the outer right of the gable. The jamb advances to the right, displaying three bays with a two-stage turret at the west, candle-snuffer roof, string course, and eaves moulding. A later 19th century canted bay window appears off centre to the right, with a canted section at ground level featuring a barred window at centre and a main window at principal floor, all in ashlar with a half-piend roof. A window occupies the outer left with a gun-loop to the right. A window at second floor centre is accompanied by two gabled dormerheads displaying IC and HS initials with finials. A single storey two-bay wing to the right contains twelve-pane sash and case windows, with that to the right barred, and features a piended roof. A harled curtain wall with ashlar coping to the right terminates in a sandstone quoin pier with ashlar pyramidal cap; an identical pier stands opposite the gate, leading to the cottage and stable block.

The main house features 12- and 8-pane sash and case windows throughout. The roof is gabled slate with a stone ridge, apex and wallhead stacks, and modern circular cans.

The interior was not seen as of 1992.

The cottage is an early 18th century rectangular-plan two-storey structure aligned north-south along the west side of the site. Windows are symmetrically placed at first floor on the east elevation above a lean-to single storey block advanced at ground. A door at the south side sits to the right on the lean-to block. A barred window occupies the ground level to the left on the gable. Later lean-to store additions extend to the left. The west elevation displays three asymmetrical bays, some with enlarged windows. A lean-to store extends to the right. The cottage is fitted with 12-pane sash and case windows, though some replacement windows appear on the west elevation. The roof is grey slate with a stone ridge, corniced apex stacks, and thackstanes.

The gatehouse is a rectangular-plan single storey structure immediately north of the gates to the stables, southwest of the house. It is constructed of rendered rubble on all elevations save the west. A door sits to the right of the north elevation, featuring a honey-coloured sandstone chamfered surround, with a small window to the left. The roof is grey slate with a pyramidal form and lead flashings.

The gatepiers and gates leading to the stable block feature ashlar construction with banded vermiculation, stop-chamfered arrises, corniced caps, and ball finials. A gatepier is attached to the gatehouse on the north side. The gates themselves are cast-iron two-leaf gates with diagonal railings, a decorative wrought-iron frieze at the lower level, and decorative elements between railings at the top.

Gates formerly at the entrance on Glasgow Road are currently located at the private entrance to Castle Gogor and are hung on a pair of rubble gatepiers with ashlar copings (2023). These gates comprise diagonal railings with decorative wrought-iron panels, with some later metal panel insertions. The location of the wrought-iron overthrow, previously noted as having been removed and located behind a wall adjacent to the lodge, is unknown as of 2023.

A rubble garden wall to the south of the gate bounds the garden and closes the stable block from the avenue. The wall was extended and gates inserted as part of a wider redevelopment of the site in 2005–06 (2023).

Gate piers at the entrance on Glasgow Road consist of two large symmetrical piers, believed to date from around 1900 but possibly incorporating earlier masonry. They are constructed of ashlar sandstone with cushion-rustication, moulded cornices, and decorative urn finials. They are buttressed at the rear and flanked by lower curved quadrant walls of squared and coursed sandstone rubble with flat copings. Outer ashlar piers are topped by iron lamps, which were concealed by vegetation as of 2023.

The former stable block was substantially remodelled and converted for domestic use in 2005–06 and is now excluded from the listing (2023). The gate lodge on Glasgow Road, previously listed under LB27112, is also excluded from the listing (2023).