Linnwood Hall, Leven

Linnwood Hall, Leven

This is a 2-storey mansion house with attic and a prominent 4-stage tower, built in 1898 with later alterations to the rear. It presents a Tudor Jacobean design across five bays, constructed in squared and snecked rubble with dressed ashlar margins. Moulded string courses run across the facades, and the building features segmentally-pedimented window heads supported by corbels, a domed turnpike stair, and a balustraded parapet. Arrises are chamfered throughout, with stone transoms and mullions throughout.

The principal south-east elevation is dominated by a central 4-stage tower flanked by bays containing 6-light transomed windows to each floor. The ground-floor windows are slightly advanced with a corniced blocking course, while those at first-floor level give way to dormer gablets with glazed arrowslits. The outer gabled bays feature full-height canted 10-light transomed windows to each floor, topped by segmental pediments with carved detail on roll-moulded panels to the tympana. Small bipartite segmentally-pedimented windows sit within the recessed gableheads.

The central tower has a round 3-stage corbelled tourelle at its south-west angle. Steps flanked by dwarf walls lead to a segmental-arched keystoned doorcase with flanking paired columns and pilasters supporting cushion capitals with grouped obelisk finials breaking into the 2nd stage. A 2-leaf door with flanking part-glazed lights and a small-pane segmental fanlight forms the entrance. The 2nd stage contains a 4-light transomed window beneath a cavetto cornice, while the 3rd stage displays a small tripartite window below a stepped hoodmould and a corbelled base supporting the turret. The 4th stage features a 4-light transomed window to the south-east, a narrow light to the turret, a further turret window, and a slightly advanced chimney breast to the south-west. To the north-west sits a balustraded 5-part canted window with an adjacent window, and a broad stack to the north-east. The 3rd stage of the turret projects from the balustraded parapet and bears small tripartite windows on each elevation, a mutuled cornice, and a lead dome topped with a decorative cast-iron weathervane finial.

The south-west elevation displays a canted 10-light transomed window with a deep blocking course to the left of centre at ground level, with a 6-light transomed window above. A 2-light transomed window appears to the right at each floor, topped by an M-gable above the cornice. The gable to the left contains an arrowslit, while that to the right has a gablehead stack.

The north-east elevation features a blank bay to the left of centre with a dominant wallhead stack, asymmetrical fenestration in the central bay, and a slightly advanced lower gable to the right with a window at ground level and pedimented dormer windows breaking the eaves on the returns, with the right-hand dormer being bipartite.

The north-west (rear) elevation has a lower wing projecting to the left of centre, incorporating a bipartite window to a small bowed bay on moulded consoles that bridge the re-entrant angle at 1st-floor level. Paired 4-light transomed stair windows occupy the centre, and a modern extension sits to the right.

Windows throughout feature small-pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case frames, with decoratively-astragalled coloured glass to the stair windows and a coloured glass band to the head of the top lights on the south-east elevation. The roof is covered in grey slates with coped, banded and shouldered ashlar stacks (some with cans), ashlar-coped skews with some moulded skewputts, and cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers and fixings.

The interior contains decorative plasterwork cornices, carved timber fireplaces, panelled soffits, architraved doors, panelled dadoes, and dado rails throughout. The vestibule features segmental-headed screen doors, a mosaic-patterned floor, and a carved fireplace lined with Delft tiles. The entrance hall displays a fluted column, a grand scale-and-platt staircase with decorative balusters and a 3-stage newel post crowned with an urn finial, and two coloured glass stair windows. Fine carved timber fireplaces appear throughout, with those at 1st-floor level featuring overmantels.