Gate Piers, Fountainhall

Gate Piers, Fountainhall

This is an early to mid-17th century Scottish laird's house, representing an important early example of the type. The building evolved over several closely grouped phases of construction, comprising four interlinked blocks arranged organically across the site.

The house is built of cream-coloured sandstone, formerly harled with ashlar dressings. Repairs have been executed in cement render. The openings feature chamfered arrises, and the eaves are finished with a cavetto moulded cornice. The main east-west block, constructed in two phases, rises to two storeys and attic. A taller jamb projects at the south-west corner, rising to three storeys with attic, while a wing running north-south at the east end stands at two storeys with the second floor breaking the eaves line. The building employs stone newel stairs and presents a deliberately horizontal composition, nestling into the ground.

The south elevation displays the taller west jamb (one bay deep and two bays wide) with a roll-moulded doorway on its east return. Windows are irregularly grouped and varied in size and placement. A corbel course runs above the doorway and reappears at second-floor level. A corbelled stair turret occupies the re-entrant angle to the east at second-floor height. The east and west ends are finished with steep crowstepped gables, each crowned by a gable-head stack. The east-west range shows irregular window spacing reflecting its two building phases, with gabled dormerheads lighting the second-floor windows and matching the third-floor windows of the west jamb. First-floor windows are notably larger. A further doorway to the right of the main entrance has a plain ashlar surround. A broad wallhead stack with set-off terminates the composition.

The east wing, possibly constructed before the eastern section of the east-west range, was linked at a later stage. Its east elevation presents three widely spaced bays. The wing is two bays wide, with two bays across its west return. A stone forestair rises in the re-entrant angle to the west beneath a catslide roof, flanked by a steeply pitched pedimented dormerhead lighting the first-floor window. A central doorway opens to the east, with windows in flanking bays at ground level and one window in each bay at first floor, all topped with pedimented dormerheads of matching form. The north and south ends terminate in steeply pitched crowstepped gables. The north gable is intercepted at the west by the main north elevation of the east-west range, while the south-east angle is corbelled above ground level to accommodate a pedestrian gateway through the adjoining wall.

The north elevation reveals two distinct building phases of the east-west range where it adjoins the north-south wing at the east. Each phase displays three widely spaced, nearly regular bays, with additional small windows to the right bays. A circular stair tower positioned left of centre breaks the eaves line and features small square windows. Second-floor windows are lit by gabled dormerheads.

The west elevation shows two building phases meeting. To the left of the east-west range stand two gabled bays, interrupted by the taller bay of the west jamb, which is partly corbelled above first-floor level. Three large first-floor windows of later date are positioned above. Throughout the building, windows are fitted with small-pane sash and case glazing and covered with large grey slates.

A sundial carved below the eaves on the south elevation at the outer left corner of the west jamb is a notable feature. The dormerhead pediment on the west elevation of the east wing bears the date 1638 above much-weathered entwined initials reading "IPMD". Another dormerhead pediment above the doorway on the east elevation carries a later monogram of entwined initials.

The interior retains 18th-century Memel pine panelling, including a pine cornice in one bedroom, and fine cast-iron door fittings.

The associated structures include substantial garden walls of rubble sandstone adjoining the house at the north-west and south-east. The south-east wall section contains a 17th-century gateway with moulded surround and a square panel above, flanked by finials. A circular rubble parapet surrounds a well located to the south of the house, equipped with a simple wrought-iron overthrow.

The gatepiers, located to the south-west of the house, are a pair of late Renaissance-style square ashlar piers topped with corniced caps and ball finials. Curved buttress-like sections flank each pier adjacent to the drive. Each pier carries two classical oval cast-iron relief panels (four in total), reportedly designed by Angelica Kauffman in the mid-18th century and cast by the Carron Iron Company.