Fairgirth House

Fairgirth House is an asymmetrical house originating from the 17th century, which has undergone significant alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is believed to be the site of St Lawrence's Chapel and Well.

The building is constructed from painted and harled rubble, with walls approximately 2 feet 8 inches thick. It has a rectangular plan featuring central, east, and west gables. The original house is located at the center and west gable, with the west gable having a 20th-century canted bay window added. The east bay is a 19th-century addition. The 17th-century section includes a wide bay to the west and chamfered windows on both the ground and first floors. The central block has three bays with enlarged 19th-century windows, and a central roll-moulded doorpiece. The door appears to have been raised, as the top jamb and lintel mouldings are of a different, thicker section. All windows are sash and case with small-pane glazing.

Inside, the western internal gable wall is notably thick and features a large roll-moulded fireplace, which is partly blocked but resembles a cooking hearth. This fireplace provides access to the west apartment and to a large, carefully crafted newel stair that ascends to the attic level. The north wall has been extensively altered in the 1930s to accommodate a full-height extension, making it unrecognizable. The slate roofs have coped ends and axial stacks, likely reroofed and rebuilt in the 19th century.

The interior retains the layout of the 17th-century house on the ground floor, which remains relatively intact, along with the main chimneypiece. There is a well-preserved bipartite moulded aumbry on the ground floor north wall, featuring stenciled decorations along the margins. A large and impressive red sandstone wheel stair at the north internal gable rises to full height, providing somewhat awkward access to the attics.