Sw Range, Stables, Balbirnie House, Balbirnie Park

Sw Range, Stables, Balbirnie House, Balbirnie Park

This mid-19th century stable court complex, possibly designed by David Bryce in 1860, incorporates earlier fabric from around 1780. A motor house was probably added in 1913 by James Gillespie and Scott, and the entire range was converted to a Craft Centre in 1972. The complex comprises a two-storey, ten-bay classical stable court with a Gardener's Cottage and converted bothy, all built in droved sandstone ashlar with raised quoins, base and eaves courses, and an eaves cornice to the Gardener's Cottage and Ardyne sections. Round-headed openings are detailed with keystones and voussoirs throughout.

The northwest entrance elevation is dominated by a wide, advanced pend entrance at the centre, featuring a moulded and keystoned arch supported on flanking squat, corniced pilasters with pal stones at the inner angles. A pediment above contains a glazed oculus in the tympanum. The elevation displays three ground-floor windows with three small windows above, positioned right and left of the centre. To the outer right, a voussoired arch, partially blocked with two small windows, is surmounted by a glazed oculus. The penultimate bay to the left contains a window, with another window above and a flat dormerhead breaking the eaves. The outer left bay has a voussoired arch, partially blocked with one window, with a glazed oculus above.

The northeast elevation is asymmetrical in fenestration, featuring four flat dormerheaded windows breaking the eaves to the right and a door off-centre right. A return to the left contains a first-floor window on the right and a shouldered, centre wallhead stack.

The southwest elevation, facing the Gardener's Cottage, is symmetrical. A timber-canopied porch with cast iron columns and a panelled timber door with narrow, small-pane fanlight sits at the centre. Two-part and three-part windows occupy the ground floor; three two-part windows light the first floor. A boundary wall with a pedestrian door adjoins to the outer right. The return to the right features a lean-to extension at ground level, a two-part window above, and a small glazed oculus in the gablehead.

The southeast elevation is lower, with a gambrel roof to the left. A slightly recessed, infill bay to the right contains a two-part window in a timber gablehead, with a boundary wall immediately abutting to the left. Asymmetrical fenestration extends beyond to the left, concealed behind the southwest boundary of the walled garden.

Within the courtyard, a pend arch to the northwest range is flanked by a variety of openings, including a former hayloft, balcony, and windows with pedimented dormerheads. Bowed stair towers occupy the re-entrant angles to left and right.

The southeast range is a lower, free-standing motor house with altered double garage doors and windows. The northeast range extends beyond the courtyard to the east, with a door to the left at ground level and four windows to the right, followed by a further door. Adjoining to the outer right is a three-bay house, possibly known as Ardyne, accessed by a flight of railed steps leading to a panelled timber door with plate glass fanlight, set within a pilastered and corniced doorcase with flanking windows. The first floor displays eight bays with dormerheaded windows, some altered and some pedimented, with two featuring flat roofs. The outer left window has a stone-bracketed balcony with decorative cast iron railings.

The southwest range forms the rear of the Gardener's Cottage, with two windows to each floor.

Fenestration throughout features a variety of small-pane glazing patterns in timber sash-and-case windows, some lying-pane, with decorative astragals to the oculi on the northeast. The Gardener's Cottage has plate glass glazing in the top opening and timber windows to the southwest, while some first-floor bays feature plate glass glazing in modern timber windows. Roofing comprises graded grey and purple slates. Chimneys are coped ashlar stacks, some shouldered, with some cans; cast iron downpipes feature decorative rainwater hoppers. The courtyard and pend are surfaced in stone sets.

Interior features of the Gardener's Cottage include a timber stair, shutters, and inward-opening casement windows.

Boundary walls throughout are constructed of coped rubble.