Stable Block And Wash House, Eastbank, 66 Loughborough Road, Kirkcaldy

Eastbank, 66 Loughborough Road, Kirkcaldy

A substantial Scots Baronial villa dating from circa 1870, altered by William Williamson in 1903. The building is 2-storey with attic and features a central tower. It is constructed in snecked bull-faced ashlar with polished dressings, incorporating a part base-course, moulded string course and stepped hoodmoulds to the west, south and east elevations. An eaves cornice with mutules sits above the north stair window. Two-stage angle buttresses feature segmental-headed openings with corbels, stone transoms and mullions, and stop-chamfered arrises. All windows break the eaves line and are topped with monogrammed pediments and stone finials.

The principal west elevation centres on a tower with bipartite windows to the right at ground and first floor levels, and a further segmental-headed window in a crowstepped gable above. To the left is a bay containing a bipartite window at ground level with a window above breaking into a thistle-finalled pediment with monogrammed tympanum. A conical-roofed, corbelled tower to the outer left holds a window to the northwest. The tower itself comprises a slightly advanced bay to the centre with a projecting single-storey, buttressed and crenellated porch. This porch displays corbelled, domed angle bartizans and large segmental-headed unglazed windows to the west and north, with a doorway to the south. At first floor level, a window sits to the right with a blind tablet below the string course to the left, and above is a further segmental-headed window with flanking corbel courses incorporating the windowhead. Machicolations above give way to a stepped parapet and a polygonal turret to the southeast with a narrow south-facing window.

The south garden elevation comprises four bays. A transomed and mullioned part-glazed double door occupies the bay to the right of centre at ground level, with a tripartite window to the right and a canted quadripartite window in a slightly advanced bay to the outer left. The first floor features a window in the bay to the left of centre and bipartite windows in each remaining bay. At attic level, dormer windows break the eaves to the right and left of centre. The bay to the outer left displays a segmental-headed window in the gablehead with corbelled and finalled outer angles. A slightly lower crowstepped gable to the right carries a monogrammed tablet to its centre and a corbelled angle turret to the right with a window to the southeast and a further corbel supporting a square pyramid-roofed caphouse with small windows to the south, east and north.

The east elevation contains a bay to the outer left with a bipartite window at ground and a further window breaking the eaves above. A lower projecting wing to the right features two bipartite windows at ground below timber dormer windows. A canted bay in the re-entrant angle to the left holds a ground-floor window with a blind tablet to the left and a further window breaking the eaves above, with a narrow window to the left and a fire escape door (possibly converted from a window) to the right.

The north elevation spans six bays. A flat-roofed bay to the right of centre holds a window to the right at ground level and above it a broad 9-part transomed and mullioned stained-glass stair window. A broad gabled bay to the outer right features a corbelled turret at the outer angle and a projecting single-storey battered bay (possibly an inglenook) with two small stained-glass windows at ground and a further small window to the left above. A symmetrical gabled bay to the left of centre is flanked by smaller gables, that to the left being finalled. A lower advanced gabled bay to the outer left contains a small porch in the re-entrant angle to the right and a timber dormer window above.

Windows throughout are fitted with 4-pane and plate-glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case frames. The roof is covered in grey slates with coped ashlar stacks and ashlar-coped skews. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers complete the external detailing.

The interior features decorative plasterwork ceilings and cornices with panelled soffits. The porch roof displays boarded timber ribbed vaulting. A vestibule beyond contains encaustic floor tiles and a screen door with leaded, coloured-glass flanking lights. The fine original panelled hall features a stone fireplace with a carved and panelled, canted overmantel with flanking seats, balustrades and columns, and a panelled ceiling. The ground-floor principal south room (drawing room) displays fluted composite columns, while the northwest room (parlour) features coloured-glass windows flanking a former fireplace in an inglenook. A dog-leg staircase with timber balusters and handrail ascends to the first floor. The stair landing is lit by a fine 9-pane coloured-glass stair window with lozenge and square leaded lights forming a trompe-l'oeil picture. A pilastered and arched opening (now blocked) leads to the first-floor landing, which is lit by a polygonal, decorative-astragalled rooflight set within a deeply-coved and panelled ceiling. A southeast bedroom features a low door to the turret, now with access blocked. The tower leads to an attic billiard room where pictures of ocean-going ships are evident beneath broken plaster. Fire damage sustained in 2017 is likely to have destroyed or partially destroyed these upper-level interior features as of 2021.

The stable and washhouse form a U-plan structure with the washhouse to the west. They are constructed in slated, squared and snecked rubble with ashlar skews, coped ashlar stacks, stone mullions and stop-chamfered arrises. Boarded timber doors and some timber sash and case windows remain, though all are now blocked.

The north elevation facing Loughborough Road comprises five bays. A gabled bay to the right of centre contains a raised centre tripartite window below a small opening in the gablehead. A further gabled bay to the outer right (linked by a boundary wall) displays a wide opening below a bipartite window. Two bays to the left feature a door to the right and a window to the left at ground level (both blocked) and two pedimented hayloft openings breaking the eaves. A gabled bay to the outer left holds a blocked door to the right and a window in the gablehead.

The south elevation presents advanced gabled bays with rounded angles corbelled to square above ground, featuring windows at ground and within gableheads, with returns facing the cobbled courtyard. A centre bay contains a broad opening at its centre flanked by small lights and deep-set timber doors with fanlights set in recessed porches. A pedimented bipartite window above breaks the eaves. An isolated gabled washhouse bay to the outer left displays a door to the left and a window to the right at ground with a bipartite window in the gablehead.

The east elevation contains three windows, with a boundary wall adjoining to the left. The west elevation is blank.

Boundary walls and gatepiers are constructed of coped, rock-faced ashlar with semi-circular-coped quadrant walls. Pedestrian and carriage openings feature square-section ashlar gatepiers with rock-faced plinths, moulded stop-chamfered arrises, battered pyramidal coping and ball finials. Terraces to the south incorporate two flights of stone steps with flanking dwarf walls.