Stable Court, Home Farm, Raith House

Stable Court, Home Farm, Raith House

Possibly designed by James Playfair around 1785. A single and 2-storey rectangular-plan classical stable court arranged around a central courtyard, built on ground sloping to the south and east.

The principal south front is pedimented and features niches containing statues. The building is constructed in squared and snecked dark whinstone rubble to the south elevation, with coursed rubble elsewhere and ashlar sandstone dressings. A base course, moulded cornice and pilastered blocking course run across the south elevation. Openings include segmental- and round-headed forms throughout.

The south (principal) elevation is of 9 bays, grouped as 1-3-1-3-1. A slightly advanced pedimented bay occupies the centre, with a segmental-headed cart arch below a blind tablet. Three flanking bays contain niches to the ground floor and small windows above set close to the cornice. The outer bays echo the centre bay design but have blind round-headed recesses instead of niches.

The north elevation features a centre bay with a pedimented segmental-headed cart arch, a small window above and a clock on the tympanum. To the left are three further cart arches, with a 2-leaf boarded timber door and multi-pane fanlight to the outer left and six louvered openings above. An advanced range to the right of centre has a stone forestair to its outer left and three cart arches to the right, with similar openings above.

The east elevation has a block-pedimented bay at the outer left with windows to each floor; a slightly recessed bay to the right features asymmetrical fenestration and a projecting round stair beyond. Bays to the outer right are also asymmetrically fenestrated.

The west elevation features a taller block-pedimented bay at the outer right with a 1st-floor window and a dovecot above in the attic space. To the left is a range with a variety of glazed and blinded windows over a raised basement, with four doors to the right and a stone forestair to the left. A further forestair and stepped roof bay on the return to the left gives way to two recessed cart-arches beyond (the left one blocked). A further range projects to the outer left, adjoining a brick range.

Within the courtyard, the north elevation contains a segmental-headed arch to centre with an oval panel above. Bays to the right have a centre door and flanking windows below a hayloft opening with flanking small windows, and a further door to the outer right. Four bays to the left follow the same pattern.

The courtyard's south elevation displays chequered stonework of contrasting yellow and cream stone to a centre pedimented cart-arch with a round panel on its tympanum. Two bipartite windows to the left have small windows above, whilst the right side contains a blinded window and door with louvered openings above.

The courtyard's east elevation is single storey, with three cart arches to centre, a 3-bay centre door cottage to the left, two windows to the right with a door beyond, a window in the penultimate bay to the right and a further window to the outer right.

The courtyard's west elevation has two cart-arches to centre, four bays to the left with alternate blinded doors and doors, and a pend entrance to the right with a door and window beyond. Nine small windows occupy the 1st floor.

A northeast bothy stands as an isolated block with a 6-bay elevation to the west: a door with forestair to the right of centre, two windows beyond to the right and three windows to the left. The east elevation has three windows to the right of centre close to the eaves, with a dominant shouldered wallhead stack beyond.

A brick range to the northwest has a south elevation with a slightly higher piend-roofed centre bay containing a door to centre and flanking segmental-headed windows. A recessed bay to the left has three lunettes, whilst that to the right has a lunette to the left and a larger round-headed window to the right.

Windows throughout consist mainly of 4-, 9- and 12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case or fixed timber frames. The roofs are covered in grey slates with corrugated asbestos to the north range. Ashlar stacks with some cans are coped.

This represents a fine example of a largely unaltered home farm, with the principal elevation designed to be viewed from the nearby Raith House. Playfair added fine classical pavilions to Raith House at about this date, and it appears very possible that he employed the same materials and his characteristic dexterity with classical design to create this accomplished stable court and farm.