The Manor House, Inveresk Village Road, Inveresk

The Manor House, Inveresk

The Manor House is a three-storey villa with basement, dating to 1748, designed in the classical style with seven bays across its principal elevation. A stairtower in squared and coursed sandstone was added in the 19th century. The building is constructed of tooled, heavily pointed cream sandstone rubble on the north-east elevation, with darker stone used on the sides and rear. Rusticated quoins, keystones, bracketed cills and a cornice provide classical detailing throughout.

The north-east elevation presents the main facade, with three advanced centre bays topped by a pediment that projects proud of the main eaves line. A Gibbsian door surround sits at the head of stone steps with simple wrought-iron balustrade, and an open pediment above cradles an acorn finial. The basement and ground floor windows occupy the flanking bays, with one basement window now blinded. Regular fenestration continues at first and second floor across each bay. An elaborate monogram appears in the tympanum flanked by the date; a pediment stack and decorative urn finials crown the composition. The paired outer bays are recessed and display regular windows at each floor.

The south-west elevation comprises six bays arranged in three pairs. A door, enlarged from a former window, sits to the left of the centre bays and is fitted with a modern timber stair. Regular fenestration appears at each floor, though the cills of ground floor windows to the centre and left bays were lowered in the earlier 19th century. The south-east elevation shows the gable lines of former 19th century additions, a blinded second floor window, and the stairtower to the right corner. The north-west elevation retains evidence of a line of former 19th century additions to the basement level, with a door, two first floor windows, and one second floor window at centre.

The stairtower is a single-bay square tower extending the full height of the building, its openings detailed similarly to the principal elevation. Three square panels occupy the exposed faces, two bearing inscriptions (Ephesians III 14.21 and Psalm 127.1). A door to the south-west elevation was originally an internal door to further 19th century additions now removed. Blind windows face the north-east elevation. The tower is topped by a piend roof with finial.

Windows throughout retain 12-pane glazing patterns in sash and case windows, with some original glazing surviving. Lengthened windows at the rear show horizontal-pane glazing patterns. Coped and panelled chimney stacks rise through the roof. The building is covered by a grey slate piend roof with lead flashings and swept eaves.

The interior retains much original 18th century decoration. The basement is flagstoned and contains a kitchen recess and wine cellar, with keystoned passage arches. Eighteenth-century pine panelling survives, and a scale and platt stair features panelled treads. Ornate, unorthodox plasterwork dating to circa 1820 forms a comb ceiling over the stairwell. The ground floor drawing room was redecorated circa 1820 with a shell niche and plaster cornices, and a classically ornamented chimneypiece. Several bedrooms contain late 19th century chimneypieces. Mural over-door panels to the second floor bedroom and landing depict landscapes and marine scenes, probably of 18th century date. A mural frieze to the second floor landing is more amateur in execution and probably dates to the earlier 19th century, possibly by William Kirk. A cantilevered stone stair occupies the stairtower.

Adjoining the main house to the south is one of a pair of earlier 18th century pavilions with ogival roofs and rectangular plans, two storeys in height, recently restored. These are built of sandstone rubble with harl-pointing and ashlar dressings; some arrises are chamfered. A stone forestair with balustrade rises to the north-east elevation. One first floor window survives on the north-west elevation, whilst five are blocked. Bipartite windows have been inserted to each floor of the south-west elevation. Ground floor windows to the south-east and the wallhead stack are blocked. The sash and case windows retain 12-pane glazing patterns. The ogival roofs are covered in grey slate with scalloped flashings.

A quadrant links the pavilion to the house, constructed of squared and snecked sandstone with ashlar coping and dressings. Recesses flank a keystoned gateway, which features keystones and bracketed cills.

A two-storey rectangular dovecot, currently roofless as of 1989, stands in the south corner of the garden. It was later converted to a garden house. Built of sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, it features a cornice and chamfered arrises to the door. The boarded door retains a small-pane fanlight. First floor windows break the former eaves line, and the walls are lined internally with stone nesting boxes.

An 18th century ice house is situated in the falling ground to the south-west.

Boundary walls and gates of sandstone rubble with quadrants to the roadside define the property. Early 19th century rusticated and corniced ashlar gatepiers, one incribed "The Manor House", are topped with sizeable mid-18th century urn finials. A pedestrian gateway lies to the north, and decorative wrought-iron gates provide access. A brick wall bounds the garden with a decorative wrought-iron gate.