Ruchlaw House

Ruchlaw House

Early 17th century laird's house of three storeys in an L-plan, subsequently enlarged and altered over several centuries. The building is rendered in white painted harling with evidence of a battered base course, pink sandstone margins, and a moulded eaves cornice.

The original L-plan comprises wings running east-west and north-south. A former staircase turret that occupied the re-entrant angle was removed in the early 18th century and replaced by a rectangular stair tower with a piend roof and wide turnpike stair. The west jamb was originally two bays and was extended in the early 18th century. A doorway in the stairwell has an initialled and dated pediment (AS 1663) set above it, which was moved from its original position in a dormerhead when attic rooms were removed in the early 18th century. The door is panelled. Above this doorway, the entrance elevation contains one window to each floor. To the west on the ground floor there is one window; the first and second floors have three windows each, grouped towards the re-entrant angle. A small square panel engraved with an entwined heart and triangle is set above a ground floor window.

The west gable is two bays with two low square ground floor windows and one window each to the first and second floors, both positioned at the right.

The south gable features a window to each floor of the stairwell, and at ground level a doorway flanked by a window to the right, currently concealed by a lean-to glass-house. The first and second floors have two and one windows respectively to the right.

The north elevation shows a lower three-storey projection to the north and east end, two bays deep, which was raised from single storey circa 1900, with second floor windows breaking the eaves in gabled dormerheads. A single-storey small lean-to occupies the re-entrant angle. An inserted 19th century stone canted window with regularly spaced glazing is set at ground level, with four windows each to the first and second floors, and one window to the left. Windows to each bay appear at first and second floor levels.

The east elevation shows the original south elevation of three bays, with two low square windows at ground level to the centre and left, and a taller window to the right. Three regular windows span the first and second floors, with a small window to the outer right at first floor level. Two advanced lower bays to the right were raised from single storey circa 1900 and feature two arrow slits at ground level with windows to each bay at first and second floor levels; the right bay windows are bipartite and second floor windows break the eaves in gabled dormerheads. The windows throughout predominantly feature 12-pane glazing in sash and case form. The roof is laid with grey slates. The building displays crowstepped skews with ashlar masonry to the circa 1900 additions.

The interior has been modernised, although Memel pine window cases and panelled shutters have been retained.

A later 17th century horizontal sundial stands on a balustered red sandstone pedestal in the walled garden, with a white marble face and wrought-iron gnomon. The initials AS are inscribed on the stone table, matching those on the house itself.

The walled garden adjoins the house at the east end of the south elevation. It is enclosed by high rubble walls with coping and ball finials, and features a round-arched gateway with rounded corners by the house. A further gateway in the west wall provides access to the stable court.

A summer house dated 1890 is set within the garden. It is square in plan, constructed of rubble with harling to the rear, piend-roofed, and projects to the south from the south wall. It is entered by a round-arched doorway with a recessed rectangular panel above, initialled and dated (LBS MBS 1890).

Rubble boundary walls sweep up from the entrance to the drive at the west, flanked to the south by a pedestrian gateway with a decorative timber gate.