Drummore House, Prestonpans

Drummore House is a two-storey and attic neoclassical villa of three bays, built around 1750, with a two-storey wing adjoining the west elevation added in the early 19th century and further altered and extended throughout that century. The interior contains fine ornate decorative plaster and carved timberwork dating from the mid-18th century.

The main house is constructed in tooled coursed pink sandstone rubble, possibly originally harled, with polished dressings. It has a moulded base course and eaves course, with long and short quoins at the corners. The windows are set in moulded ashlar architraves. The first floor windows are topped with triangular pediments, whilst the central window of the south elevation features a broken pediment with a shell motif.

The central bays of both north and south elevations are slightly advanced and each is surmounted by a triangular pediment. Both pediments contain inscriptions set in high relief foliate cartouches and are topped by urns, drawn from James Thomson's 'The Seasons'. The central bay of the south elevation is flanked by Doric pilasters. Its inscription, within a scroll, reads 'Deo Patriae Amicis - Seise the Plow and Greatly Independant Live'. The north elevation's pediment bears a scroll reading 'Steddy' above the inscription 'All is the Gift of Industry, whatever exalts, embellishes and renders life delightfull. Pensive Winter cheard by him that sits at the social fire, and happy hears the excluded tempest idly rave along'.

The south elevation has an advanced central entrance porch with a flat roof, added around 1880. The porch contains a two-leaf panelled timber door and a plate glass rectangular fanlight. It is flanked by bull's eye windows. The original entrance doorpiece was relocated to the garden wall.

The right bay of the north elevation is partially obscured by the adjoining early 19th century wing, which includes a canted bay at first floor level in the re-entrant angle.

The east elevation is symmetrical, featuring a bowed central bay corbelled out to form a canted bay at the second floor. A Venetian window is positioned at first floor level within the bowed bay.

The west elevation is adjoined by a set-back two-storey wing dating to the early 19th century. This wing is built in stugged, squared and snecked rubble with droved ashlar dressings. Its west elevation is three bays wide with an advanced pedimented central bay. The central and right ground floor windows of this wing have been enlarged to form entrances. During the 19th century, the east side of the wing was rebuilt and brought forward, and the wall height of the entire wing was raised.

Throughout the building, windows are predominantly of 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case frames, with attic windows showing a six-pane pattern. The roofs are covered in grey slates, and cast iron rainwater goods survive in places. The ridge and wallhead chimney stacks are of tooled and corniced ashlar with decorative octagonal cans.

The interior, examined in 2016, displays fine ornate decorative plaster and carved timberwork from the mid-18th century. The entrance hall is dominated by a half-turn staircase leading to a first floor gallery. The main stair features barley twist bannisters and a timber handrail. Above the entrance hall is a deeply coved ceiling with decorative foliate plasterwork. Flanking the entrance door are round-arched alcoves with moulded architraves featuring shell keystones, with a large shell set in each alcove above the bull's eye windows.

The large first floor drawing room on the east side of the building retains an 18th century decorative scheme. It contains a 19th century white marble Rococo fireplace surrounding a metal grate. Above the fireplace is a large mirror with an egg and dart architrave, topped by timber carving incorporating a head, bow and arrows. Set in the wall above the fireplace are elaborately carved wood trophies representing law, agriculture, governance and music, flanked by giant fluted Ionic pilasters supporting a deep bracketed cornice. The window bay opposite the fireplace is flanked by Ionic pilasters, with foliate plasterwork and a shell-motif cornice on its ceiling. Interior doors throughout are predominantly timber and panelled, and some panelled window shutters remain. Much of the interior decoration and fixtures in the early 19th century wing, and some rooms in the 18th century block, have been stripped back to the walls.

Adjoining the east elevation is a sandstone rubble and red brick garden wall. A doorway surmounts a bracketed segmental pediment inscribed 'Home is the Resort of Love, of Joy, of Peace, of Plenty, Where Supporting and Supported, Polished Friends and Dear Relations Mingle into Bliss'. An original entrance doorpiece from the house is also relocated to this wall.

To the west of the house stands a stone circular well.