Walled Garden And Ancillary Buildings, Kingsdale

Walled Garden and Ancillary Buildings, Kingsdale

A substantial classical mansion dating from the later 18th century, enlarged and recast around 1804, with alterations by the architectural practice James Gillespie & Scott in 1885–6, 1902–9, and 1945–6.

The main house is a tall 2-storey structure with attic storey, arranged across 3 bays and topped by a pediment, parapet, and piended roof with twin stacks. It is built in ashlar with rusticated quoins and features an eaves cornice with parapet blocking course, stone mullions, and 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows throughout.

The north entrance elevation is distinguished by a slightly advanced central bay containing a later pilastered porch with windows on the returns, cornice and blocking course. Beyond this stands a further projecting Roman Doric-columned doorpiece with a 2-leaf panelled timber door. Two windows sit above, opening into a pediment containing a wheel-astragalled circular window in the tympanum. The flanking bays each have 2 windows to both floors.

The south elevation displays a 3-bay arrangement. The broad, full-height bowed centre bay is flanked by full-height pilaster strips and contains a tall tripartite window to each floor; the ground-floor window features pilaster-mullions and a hoodmould. The flanking bays have 2 windows to each floor.

The west elevation features a later tall tripartite window with pilaster-mullions set within a slightly advanced segmentally-arched rectangular bay at ground level. Above are 2 first-floor windows, the one to the right being false, and an off-centre dormer window sits behind the parapet.

Dormer windows are segmental-headed with lead roofs and slate hanging. The roof is covered in grey slates, with coped ashlar ridge stacks and cast-iron downpipes adorned with decorative rainwater hoppers.

Internally, the house retains decorative plasterwork cornices and architraved 6-panelled timber doors. The hall features a part-glazed 2-leaf screen door with a deep 3-part fanlight and tall flanking small-pane lights, leading to a winding stair with oval landing. Three principal ground-floor rooms are present; the central and western rooms retain classical gilded gesso pelmets.

A lower 2-storey wing extends to the east, adjoining single and 2-storey offices constructed with slate and small-pane timber sash and case windows.

The offices comprise multiple ranges of differing heights. The north elevation contains a recessed bay to the outer right with windows to each floor, adjoining the main house. A steeply-pitched piended roof range with 3 projecting windows extends to the left, with a return to the right featuring a window in a shaped screen wall and a dormer above. A further single-storey range with 3 windows extends beyond to the left, followed by an isolated single bay to the outer left.

The south elevation of the offices consists of 5 recessed bays. The leftmost bay is taller and piended, with windows to each floor. The lower bays to the right contain 4 windows to each floor, with those at first-floor centre breaking the eaves line into pedimented dormerheads.

An octagonal former dairy, now a potting shed, is linked to the house at its northwest angle. It features a centre roof ventilator and a door to the west with casement windows on each remaining face. A veranda supported on slender cast-iron columns surrounds it. The interior contains a marble shelf mounted on shaped stone supports.

The walled garden lies to the east, bounded by flat-coped rubble walls. A pedestrian entrance to the west displays a worn figurative sundial, possibly depicting a lion or bewigged human figure, mounted on the coping. A wider opening with square-section gatepiers is located to the north, and the remains of lean-to glasshouses are evident to the northeast.

The house was commissioned by James Stark. Following his death in October 1803, Kingsdale House was sold to Miss Balfour, who remodelled and enlarged it shortly thereafter. Historical records mention flanking piend-roofed pavilions from this period; evidence of the western pavilion remained visible as of 1999.