Strathore House, Thornton

Strathore House is a late 18th century house with an addition dating from the mid 19th century. It is a two-storey, four-bay house with a five-bay wing. The exterior is of rubble and harl with ashlar dressings. A notable feature is the bracketed cill to the porch window, along with deeply chamfered arrises and stone mullions, and crowsteps.

The principal (south) elevation shows an 18th century block to the left of centre, featuring three windows to each floor and finialled gableheads that break the eaves. The finials are, from left to right, a rose, a pineapple, and a thistle. To the right of centre is a single-storey wing with a cavetto-corniced ashlar porch featuring a large tripartite window, a deep-set multi-pane door, and a plate glass fanlight. A stepped gablehead with a ball-finial decorates each face of the porch, including the return to the left, which is within an architraved surround. Behind this is a recessed face with a star-finialled gableheaded window also breaking the eaves. A taller, thistle-finialled, gabled bay extends to the outer right, incorporating canted tripartite windows on each floor.

The west elevation displays a canted tripartite window with ball-finialled gableheads in the bay to the right at ground level, with a matching window above and a blocked window to the left on each floor. A prominent, shouldered wallhead stack sits above.

The north elevation features an advanced, harled, gabled bay positioned centrally, containing two windows to each floor and a small gablehead stack. A window is at ground level on the return to the left. A bay to the left has a tiny window at ground level and a tall stair window above. A slightly advanced gabled bay extends to the outer left, incorporating a multi-pane door to the right and a window above, with a full-height chimney breast and a prominent gablehead stack. A bay to the outer right features a window at ground level and a later quadripartite window above, with a single-storey outbuilding abutting beyond.

The east elevation has a gabled bay with a window to each floor at the outer right, and an advanced, pitch-roofed bay to the centre with a modern glass door and window on the return to the right. A door is located at the outer left.

The windows are timber sash and case, with 4-, 6-, 12-pane, and plate glass glazing, except for those on the right side of the north elevation. The roof is covered in grey slates, with coped, harled and ashlar stacks, some incorporating polygonal cans and thackstanes. The building also features ashlar-coped skews and beak skewputts, cast-iron downpipes, and decorative rainwater hoppers.

Inside, the house retains panelled shutters and plain cornicing. The fireplaces are carved with timber, marble and stone. A dog-leg staircase is present, with decorative cast-iron balusters and a timber handrail, and decorative coloured glass is fitted to the stair window.

The boundary walls are constructed of coped rubble. Decorative cast-iron gates and piers with large S-scroll flanks enhance the setting.