The Manse, High Street, Aberlady

The Manse is a large, two-storey house with a basement, likely dating to around 1843. It appears to be a remodelling of an earlier manse, possibly by the architectural firm Burn and Bryce. The exterior is white-painted harl with ashlar stone detailing, incorporating Tudor Revival elements.

The main south elevation features a central front door set within an advanced, gabled bay with an ashlar surround. The first floor is jettied out over a corbelled course, with a window above and a blank plaque set into the steeply pitched gable. A stair window is visible to the right, along with a chamfered window featuring a corbelled squinch, located in a re-entrant angle on the first floor. To the left is a narrow bay with two basement windows, a ground-floor window, and a first-floor window breaking the eaves in a gabled ashlar dormerhead. A broader gabled bay is located at the outer left, containing a window on both the ground and first floors. The east and west gabled elevations have irregular window openings.

The north elevation showcases two tripartite windows at ground floor level, and three windows on the first floor, each breaking the eaves in gabled ashlar dormerheads. The windows are mostly sash and case with a 12-pane glazing pattern, with margined plate glass used in the window to the left of the front door. Grey slates cover the roof, complemented by coped ashlar stacks with decorative cans. There are also gable finials.

The garden walls are constructed of rubble and feature a semi-circular cope. A pointed arched gateway with a curved overthrow is present on the south side, along with a wooden door with decorative ironwork hinges.

Within the garden, at the rear, is an early 19th-century Gothic grotto. This arcaded chamber has two pointed arched doorways flanked by windows, and is constructed of rubble with tufa and pebble rockwork. It is similar in style to the listed Gosford Ice House.

Historical records and maps indicate the original manse was located on the main road beside the church. The current Manse, set back behind a wall and potentially incorporating elements of the old building, was constructed for Rev J H Tait, who served as minister from 1861 to 1878.