Kingsdale

Kingsdale is a tall two-storey mansion with attic, comprising three bays with a pedimented classical facade, parapet, piended roof and twin chimney stacks. The building dates from the later 18th century, was enlarged and recast around 1804, and subsequently altered by the architectural practice James Gillespie & Scott in 1885/6, 1902/9, and 1945/6.

The main structure is built in ashlar with rusticated quoins, stone mullions and an eaves cornice with parapet blocking course. A lower two-storey wing extends to the east, adjoining single and two-storey offices.

The north (entrance) elevation features a slightly advanced central bay with a later pilastered porch with windows on the returns, cornice and blocking course. A further projecting Roman Doric-columned doorpiece frames a two-leaf panelled timber door. Above are two windows giving way to a pediment containing a wheel-astragalled circular window in the tympanum. The flanking bays contain two windows to each floor.

The south elevation is a three-bay composition. The broad, full-height bowed centre bay is flanked by full-height pilaster strips and contains tall tripartite windows to each floor, the ground-floor example having pilaster-mullions and a hoodmould. The flanking bays have two windows to each floor.

The west elevation displays a later tall tripartite window with pilaster-mullions in a slightly advanced segmentally-arched rectangular bay at ground level, with two windows to the first floor (that on the right being false) and an off-centre right dormer window behind the parapet.

Windows throughout are twelve-pane timber sash and case with glazing patterns. The dormer windows are segmental-headed with lead roofs and slate hangings. The roof is covered in grey slates with coped ashlar ridge stacks. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers drain the structure.

The interior contains decorative plasterwork cornices and architraved six-panelled timber doors. A part-glazed two-leaf screen door with a deep three-part fanlight and tall flanking small-pane lights opens to a hall with a winding stair and oval landing. Three principal ground-floor rooms are present, the centre and west rooms featuring classical gilded gesso pelmets.

The adjoining offices are slated with small-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. The north elevation of the offices includes a recessed bay to the outer right with windows to each floor, a steeply-pitched piended roof range projecting to the left with three windows, a return to the right with a window in a shaped screen wall and a dormer window above, a further single-storey range with three windows, and an isolated single bay to the outer left. The south elevation contains five recessed bays, with the left bay being taller and piended with windows to each floor. The lower bays to the right have four windows to each floor, those at the centre first floor breaking into the eaves with pedimented dormerheads.

An octagonal former dairy, now used as a potting shed, is linked at the northwest angle with a centre roof ventilator opening. It has a door to the west and casement windows to each remaining face, with a veranda supported on slender cast-iron columns. The interior retains a marble shelf on shaped stone supports.

A walled garden extends to the east with flat-coped rubble walls. A pedestrian entrance on the west side bears a worn figurative sundial (depicting a lion or bewigged human figure) on its coping. A wider opening with square-section gatepiers stands to the north, with remains of lean-to glasshouses to the northeast.

The house was originally commissioned by James Stark. It was sold upon his death in October 1803 to Miss Balfour, who remodelled and enlarged it shortly thereafter. Historical sources mention flanking piend-roofed pavilions, and evidence of that to the west remained visible as of 1999.