Fernbank, Main Road, North Queensferry

Fernbank is a villa dated 1880, located on Main Road in North Queensferry. It is a single-storey building with an attic floor and basement, arranged on a three-bay rectangular plan with classical detailing throughout.

The external walls employ different materials by elevation. The east and west fronts are constructed in coursed hammer-dressed ashlar with polished ashlar to the west and red-tinted pointing. The north and south elevations use coursed hammer-dressed rubble. All elevations feature long and short droved and stugged quoins, stone cills, and a base course with geometric fretwork detailing on the east and west sides. A band course runs across the east and west elevations. The building is ornamented with block-carved polished mouldings, pedimented and colonnaded entrance doors, canted bays, and giant dormers to both east and west.

The principal (west) elevation is symmetrical. A central doorpiece is approached by steps and features a bracketed and scalloped pediment supported by crocket capitals and plain shafts, with a round-headed fanlight. Flanking this are three-light canted bay windows with bellcast roofs. At attic level sits a small central round-headed dormer window, with flanking three-light canted dormer windows displaying dentilled cornices, polygonal piended roofs, and fishscale and square-coursed slated cheeks. Wrought-iron finials crown the dormers.

The south elevation contains two basement windows partially sunk below ground level and a central ground-floor window.

The east elevation is symmetrical, with a central round-headed stair window positioned close to the eaves above a small window beneath. Flanking bipartite stop-chamfered windows are framed by anthemion and scrolled block-carved mouldings in their pediment. Two dormer windows match those on the west elevation; the right dormer retains its wrought-iron finial, while the left finial is missing.

The north elevation has a basement window partially sunk below ground level to the right. A modern timber lean-to porch has been added at ground-floor level, with a round-headed window centred above it.

The roof is pitched with grey slates. Corniced ashlar gablehead stacks with circular clay cans sit at the ridge. Windows throughout are fitted with plate glass in timber sash-and-case frames; a margin-paned stair window is also present.

The interior retains original Minton tiles to the vestibule and hall. The entrance hall is notable for its fine arched and modillion-corniced design, with an original wooden staircase to the rear. All public rooms retain deep ornamental cornicing and original ceiling roses. No original fireplaces survive. A large unfinished basement contains separate rooms, including a washroom with an original boiler and sink; large internal window openings connect to adjoining rooms.

The boundary is defined by square-plan stop-chamfered sandstone gatepiers. A moulded stone base for cast-iron railings (now missing) stands to the east. Random rubble coped walls enclose the north, south, and west boundaries.

An outbuilding stands within the grounds: a single-storey coach house on a three-bay rectangular plan. The south and east elevations are hammer-dressed coursed sandstone, while the north and west use random rubble. Hammer-dressed long and short quoins, ashlar cills, and an eaves course to the east give structural articulation. The principal (east) elevation has a central timber-boarded round-headed door with flanking round-headed plate-glass timber sash-and-case windows. The south elevation contains a large two-leaf timber carriage door. The west elevation is plain, incorporating the boundary wall. The north elevation has a timber-boarded door to the left and a small timber-shuttered opening to the right. The roof is piended slate.

The grounds feature a three-tiered garden falling away to the west. Dry-rendered retaining walls of squared hammer-dressed stones rise in tiers. A two-flight central stone staircase, aligned with the villa's entrance door, ascends between them. The staircase is topped and interrupted at a middle landing by stone urns, with carved rosettes at the base. A coped low balustrade runs alongside.