Sauchenside Farmhouse, Chesterhill

Sauchenside Farmhouse and Steading

This is an early 18th-century farmhouse with later additions, forming a substantial rural complex at Chesterhill. The main building is a 2-storey rectangular-plan house with a U-plan steading to the rear and a further block to the south. The exterior is largely harled and painted, concealing the main building material, with dressed ashlar used for the porch, crowsteps, and window surrounds. A partial brick stack stands to the rear.

The principal southeast elevation features a large crowstepped lean-to porch positioned off centre to the left, with a window to its front and left return and a door to its right return. To the left of the porch is a window, with a small window and larger replacement window adjacent on the ground floor right. A small oval window sits above the porch, flanked by lucarne windows with catslide roofs. A single-storey later L-plan piended extension adjoins the ground floor right, with a window to its left and patio doors to its right.

The southwest elevation presents a blind wall with crowstepped gables leading to a harled gablehead stack. The single-storey piended extension adjoins the ground floor here, with a single window to its left, and the steading adjoins to the left return.

The rear northwest elevation has irregular replacement fenestration to both floors and a later piended porch addition to the right with a central door. A large staggered stack stands off centre right, featuring ashlar side quoins with rendered infill, a brick extension with a stone neck cope above, and a rooflight to its left.

The northeast elevation is a blind wall with crowstepped gables leading to an exterior harled gablehead stack. A low harled wall with semi-circular coping adjoins the single-storey steading to the right.

The farmhouse windows are mostly 2-pane replacement timber sash and case glazing, though some 2, 4, and 12-pane windows remain to the rear. The roof is pitched with graded grey slate, catslide dormers to the front, a Velux rooflight to the rear, and stone ridges. Gablehead stacks have replacement ventilation cans. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods complete the exterior. The interior was not inspected at the time of survey in 2002.

The Farm Steading

The steading forms a courtyard arrangement on the southwest, northwest, and northeast, adjoining the main house to the southeast. It is partially harled and painted rubble construction.

The northeast range comprises two blocks. The left block is a single-storey rectangular structure, later heightened, originally open for vehicular storage and adjoining the northwest range to its left return with a blind wall to its right return facing the road. The right block has three centrally placed timber doors with single square windows between, a further small window at the top of the left doorframe (the left two bays previously being open for vehicular access), and an opening to the right of all bays. A blind wall faces left and right returns, and two small irregularly placed windows face the road. A stump of brick stack stands at the roof gable centre. A pair of timber gates links both buildings.

The northwest range comprises two adjoined single-storey gabled buildings: a 2-bay structure to the left with sliding timber doors, and a 3-bay cottage to the right with a centrally placed door and small windows flanking. This range adjoins the northeast range to its right return and the southwest range to its left return.

The southwest range consists of two stepped-down buildings. The left building has a vehicular access opening to the left and a later double lean-to garage to the right, a small window in the gable end adjoining the house with a door below to its left return, and a large hinged opening with an adjacent door to the rear. The right building is a 3-bay structure with a pair of doors and central window (showing earlier traces of differing fenestration), later brick walls supporting a water tank to the right. It adjoins the northwest range to its right return and has a centrally placed door with a catslide wallhead dormer to the rear.

The southeast range, adjacent to the house, is a modern barn concealing a previously heightened partially harled barn. The original single-storey building beneath has a door in its right return.

The steading has mostly 9-pane timber sash and case windows, with other windows later replaced by boarding to the lower parts, concealing the original plan. Roofs are pantiled with some corrugated iron. Cast-iron Carron lights are fitted throughout.

Historical Context

Sauchenside was formerly the name of a now-extinct village, with only the farm retaining the name. The name derives from the Scots word "sauch" meaning willow, translating as "edge of the field of willows." The steeply pitched roof of the farmhouse indicates its early age of construction. The steading, adjoining the main road, is also an early construction that was heightened during the 19th century and subsequently used as farm buildings. Both structures are likely original buildings from the former village, possibly former cottages. Historical map evidence includes references in Laurie's Plan of Edinburgh and Places Adjacent (1766 onwards), Kirkwood's Map of the Environs of Edinburgh (1817), and Reverend J. Dickson's Cranstoun: A Parish History (1907).