Nw Stable Block, Dalmakerran

Nw Stable Block, Dalmakerran

This comprises a main house dating to circa 1840 with late 19th century additions and alterations, together with a stable block, cottage, and associated structures.

The main house is a 2-storey, 5-bay building of roughly T-plan form with a piend roof. It features single-storey wings to the outer bays, a central nepus gable, a canted bay window, and a slightly lower wing to the rear. The building is constructed in coursed, tooled sandstone ashlar with a rendered rear elevation. It has a base course, cill course, and eaves cornice, with long and short quoins and predominantly raised, moulded window margins. The 1st-floor windows have bracketed cills, and the windows throughout feature stone mullions in bipartite and tripartite configurations.

The northeast principal elevation has a 2-leaf timber-panelled door in an advanced central bay with a window above, topped by an ashlar-coped nepus and stack. A 2-storey canted bay window is positioned to the left, with a slightly advanced bipartite window to the right and tripartite windows to the wings. The side elevations have unfenestrated walls to the wings, with tall central shouldered wallhead stacks. The rear elevation includes a 2-storey gabled wing advanced to the right, a single-storey outshot parallel to the house, and a mid-20th century lean-to addition linking the outshot to the main house, with irregular fenestration.

The building features tall corniced stacks with octagonal yellow clay cans and graded grey slate roofing. Windows are predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case frames, with some small-pane glazing retained. The interior contains a curved stone staircase with decorative cast-iron balusters and mahogany handrail, a ceiling rose to the landing, some working window shutters, cornices, and 4-field timber-panel doors throughout.

The stable block dates to the later 19th century and forms a single-storey, U-plan structure with dormered roof vents and a central entrance arch in a slightly taller piend-roofed bay. It is constructed in roughly snecked local whinstone with Locharbriggs red sandstone ashlar dressings, graded grey slate roofing, an eaves course, long and short quoins, and raised window and door margins. The main entrance features 2-leaf timber-boarded carriage gates with decorative strap hinges set within an arched, roll-moulded architrave, with a finialled, gabled dormer above containing a bracketed cill. Windows and doors throughout are irregularly fenestrated with small-pane glazed sash and case windows and predominantly 2-leaf timber-boarded doors. The northwest range includes a 2-bay cart shed with a central sandstone pier, and some original roof lights are retained. There are 3 corniced stacks with short yellow clay cans.

The stable interior is largely intact with paved floors. It includes a 4-stall stable with hexagonal green wall tiles and timber-boarded partitions with curved railings above and ball-finialled end posts; 2 loose boxes with tongue-and-groove timber panelling to the dado, green tiles above, and timber-boarded partitions with cast-iron railings and ball-finialled posts; a tack room with tongue-and-groove timber panelling and bridle hooks; a steep timber stair with barley-twist cast-iron balusters and mahogany handrail rising to the groom's room; and additional rooms including a carriage shed, foaling boxes, and tool stores.

The cottage dates to circa 1800 and may incorporate earlier fabric. It is a 2-storey, 3-bay gabled structure with a byre and loft, abutting the stable block to the southwest. Constructed in whitewashed whinstone rubble with red sandstone dressings, it has an eaves cornice, raised quoin strips, and raised window and door margins. The stable courtyard elevation has regular fenestration with 12-pane glazed timber sash and case windows, while the rear elevation shows irregular fenestration. It features corniced gablehead stacks, ashlar-coped skews, and graded grey slate roofing.

The stable yard is entered through red sandstone gatepiers with pedimented caps. In front of the house stands an arched red sandstone balustrade, with red sandstone steps leading to the garden.