Balbirnie House, Balbirnie Park

Balbirnie House, Balbirnie Park

A two-storey classical house with basement and attic, built between 1815 and 1817 by Richard Crichton and completed by R & R Dickson. The design incorporates earlier fabric from 1777–82, probably designed by James Nisbet, and possibly 17th century material. The house was altered in 1843, extended to the rear with a courtyard in 1860 (probably by David Bryce), further altered between 1889 and 1914 by James Gillespie and Scott, and converted to a hotel in 1989. The plasterwork was executed by Anderson and Ramage of Edinburgh.

The main house comprises an 11-bay Greek Revival composition arranged in groups of 3–1–3–1–3, with a piended roof. It is constructed in ashlar (droved and polished) with a base course, string course and cavetto eaves cornice with deep corniced blocking course. Openings are segmental and round-headed with voussoirs, and corbelled windows feature stop-chamfered arrises with stone mullions.

The south-west principal elevation is symmetrical with a five-bay centrepiece. Three slightly recessed bays at the centre contain deep-set segmental-headed windows at basement level; ground and first-floor windows are positioned behind a screen of free-standing Ionic columns, with further windows in the attic. The outer bays of the centrepiece are advanced and flanked by paired Ionic pilasters, each with a small basement window. A flight of steps flanked by narrow windows oversails the basement and leads to a two-leaf part-glazed timber door with a two-pane fanlight and flanking lights within a segmental-headed tripartite doorway (altered). A tripartite window occupies the first floor, and the attic features voussoired tripartite lunettes with flanking plain pilasters. Three regular bays without attic occupy the outer right and left sections; the right basement includes steps down to a two-leaf part-glazed timber door at its centre.

The south-east entrance elevation is symmetrical with five bays spanning two storeys above the basement. A flight of five steps crossing three slightly advanced central bays, flanked by dwarf walls oversailing the basement (now blocked with a timber door to the north-east), leads to a tetrastyle mutuled pedimented Ionic portico. At the centre stands a deep-set two-leaf part-glazed timber door with a decorative astragalled fanlight within an architraved doorcase featuring attenuated scroll brackets and a cornice. Windows occupy the flanking bays and continue regularly across the first floor, all framed by Ionic pilasters. The outer bays contain basement windows (the left now blocked) with regular fenestration at ground and first floors.

The north-west elevation displays irregular bays with varied elements, including three blinded windows in a slightly recessed bay to the right, four windows to the left, and basement-level openings.

The north-east elevation is complex. An advanced bay to the right contains a central basement door with a ground-floor window to its centre and a blinded window to the right, adjoined by lower offices to the left and three regular first-floor windows (the rightmost blinded). A further advanced bay to the left features steps down to a basement door with a window to the right, two windows at each floor above, and adjoining lower offices to the outer right. A return to the right contains a blinded window to the left and a bipartite window to the right, both positioned above lower offices that conceal the basement and ground floor of the remainder of this elevation. The first floor of the recessed central block comprises five irregular bays: a bipartite window to the left, three windows beyond to the right each positioned above a radial astragalled lunette, and a tall tripartite round-headed stair window with radial astragals to the outer right. A shouldered wallhead stack with a small window and flanking coped pilasters stands above bay 3, with small two-part dormer windows breaking the eaves above bays 2, 4 and 5.

The courtyard offices form a U-plan enclosure to the rear of the mansion, comprising two storeys of low height. The north-east entrance elevation features a slightly advanced segmental-headed pended opening with an open pediment at its centre, surmounted by a wide tripartite window and clock above. A corniced stone bellcote with a bell, ball finial and weathervane rises above. Two bays to the left of centre contain ground-floor windows with dormer-headed windows breaking the eaves; bays to the right include a balustraded flat-roofed porch (door to the east, two small windows to the north) positioned in a re-entrant angle, with a scale and platt stair from the right rising to a smaller first-floor porch (door to the east, window to the north) also in a re-entrant angle. A dormer-headed window occupies the left, whilst advanced gables to the outer right and left contain windows at both floors.

The south-west elevation, facing the courtyard interior, features an open pedimented cart arch with a bipartite window and clock, three windows to the right at ground level, and a small window at first-floor height. A segmental-headed window (altered) lies to the left of centre with further windows to the outer left and a small window above. The remaining courtyard faces display varied elements including a projecting first-floor timber-enclosed balcony supported on cast iron columns.

The north-west elevation includes a corbelled canted oriel breaking the eaves in the bay to the right of centre, and a bipartite window in a gablehead breaking the eaves to the left of centre.

The north-east elevation contains four windows at ground level and three above.

Windows throughout are timber sash-and-case frames with 4, 8, 12-pane and plate glass glazing patterns. The roofs are covered in grey slates. Stacks are coped ashlar with a full complement of decorative polygonal cans; skews are ashlar coped. Cast iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers complete the external detailing.

Interior Features

The interior contains a vestibule with a part-glazed screen door and flanking columns opening into a hall with a black slate fireplace. A panelled dog-leg staircase with brass balusters and timber handrail rises over the vestibule. Beyond lies a long gallery approximately 68 feet long and 15 feet wide, decorated with four shallow domes separated by narrow dividing coffers and bands of plaster guilloche. Stucco roundels with putti and plain pilasters embellish the walls, whilst three lunettes feature sunburst astragals. Panelled timber doors with brass furniture and a grey marble fireplace complete the space.

A stair hall beyond the gallery contains a central stone stair with plain brass balusters and timber handrail, and a cut-stone flying or Imperial stair rising to a platt where the staircase divides. Above stands a colonnaded Ionic screen at first-floor level. A decorative cast iron radiator occupies the ground floor.

The library, accessed from the gallery, features a pendentive ceiling, trompe-l'oeil door, and corniced bookcases with a paterae frieze. Wrought iron lamp brackets and a black marble fireplace adorn the space. Aediculed doorcases with two-leaf folding doors and panelled soffits connect to the dining room (formerly the drawing room) with a decorative ceiling rose and carved fireplace, and the drawing room (formerly the billiard room) with a black marble fireplace.

A garden room to the west, originally the entrance and later a boudoir, contains a marble fireplace with decorative slips. Within this room is a closet housing the recorded heights and signatures of family members and famous visitors. An east room features panelled dado, a black marble fireplace and a Greek-key egg-and-dart cornice.

First-floor and attic bedrooms contain varied timber and cast iron fireplaces with decorative tile slips. The original vaulted kitchen, now housing the Gamekeeper's Inn, preserves a cast iron range.

Throughout the interior, decorative plasterwork, architraved doorcases, dado panelling and rails, and panelled shutters provide enrichment.

Associated Features

A re-sited ashlar block sundial with square plinth and polygonal shaft stands in the grounds. Below a chamfered dial (gnomon missing) sits a ball finial.

An Italianate stone garden seat with U-shaped plan, scrolled arms and coped ashlar back is incorporated into a wall to the south-east of the formal garden.

Boundary walls of coped ashlar extend to the north-west and south-east of the formal garden, with stone gatepiers featuring remains of a decorative cast iron finial to the north-west. A low corniced ashlar wall with base course and dividing piers extends to the Italianate garden seat. A decorative two-leaf wrought iron gate completes the boundary treatment.