Old Place Of Monreith

This is an early 17th-century tower house of an unusual plan. The main structure is a rectangular block with gables facing east and west. A projecting wing extends to the south, and a central, circular stair turret projects to the north. The building is three stories high. It has been significantly restored in the 19th century and again in 1983; much of the original window dressings were lost during the 19th-century restoration or are now obscured by recent harling.

The walls are a mix of rubble and render, with most windows having rendered surrounds. A small, elliptical window is located in the projecting south wing and is likely a reused element from an earlier structure. In the rear stair tower, remnants of the original roll-moulded door jambs survive, incorporated into the restored doorway, with a blind panel now covered by harling. All windows are modern, using sash and case style with small panes. A modern door is located in the south re-entrant angle. Simple, pedimented dormers, modern reconstructions, are present: two to the south and one to the north, inscribed with “DT 1983, LKT (Landmark Trust), 1983.”

The end skews feature modern skewputts, and the roofs are covered with modern slate. End stacks are present, with one tall, substantial stack rising from the wallhead to the north, featuring thackstanes.

Adjacent to the tower house is a rectangular, gabled carriage house built of rubble with brick dressings. It is adjoined to rubble boundary walls. The principal elevation features a single segmental brick arch flanked by an eight-pane window. A smaller four-pane window is located at the rear. The carriage house has a slate roof with a sandstone ridge.

The property is managed by the Landmark Trust and was converted and restored in 1983 as part of planning application TP/368/83.