Kirkhill Hotel, Gorebridge

Kirkhill Hotel, formerly Kirkhill House, is a 2-storey mansion with basement dating to the 18th century and extended by Thomas Hamilton in 1828, with later alterations. It is a 5-bay Italianate building harled with predominantly droved dressings, featuring a base course, dividing band courses, eaves course, strip quoins, projecting chamfered reveals, and broad overhanging eaves.

The principal south-east elevation is asymmetrical with a distyle portico with pierced parapet reached by three stone steps serving the ground floor of the penultimate bay to the left. A panelled timber door with 2-pane fanlight is set beneath. Two round-arched windows with projecting cills light the 1st floor of a recessed tower; three blind windows above are surmounted by broad eaves and a pierced parapet. A square-pane leaded tripartite window with projecting cill occupies the centre bay at ground floor, with a window to the flanking bay to the right. The outer right bay is advanced and contains windows to both ground and 1st floors. An outer left bay has a lying-pane window at ground floor. The basement, reached by stone steps to the right of the doorway, has regular fenestration to three bays on the right, with the remainder blank. The 1st floor displays regular fenestration.

The north-east elevation is asymmetrical with three bays. A timber door at the centre bay ground floor is flanked to the left by a blind window. A brick lean-to sits between the centre and left bays at ground floor. A modern iron stair leads to a timber door at the centre bay 1st floor. Three round-arched windows light the ground floor of the right return, with a basement window and bipartite window to the 1st floor. A recessed bay at the right contains a blind window at 1st floor.

The north-west elevation is asymmetrical with five bays. Regular fenestration to basement, ground, and 1st floors appears in three bays to the left. A gabled 2-storey advanced penultimate bay to the right has regular fenestration to basement and ground floors; two round-arched windows serve a recessed tower behind, with blind windows above surmounted by a pierced parapet. An advanced outer right bay features a canted 4-light doorway with two central panelled panes forming doors, reached by stone steps with iron railings. A spiral iron stair leads to a timber door at the 1st floor of the left return.

The south-west elevation is near-symmetrical with four bays. A continuous cast-iron balcony, accessed from the left, runs along the ground floor. Regular fenestration to basement, ground, and 1st floors appears throughout.

Windows are predominantly 12-pane and 4-pane timber sash and case types. The roof is piended purple-grey slate with lead ridges. Harled coped wallhead stacks and stacks around the tower all have octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

Low ironwork railings border the hotel to the south-east and south-west.

The interior was not seen at the time of survey in 1998.

Thomas Hamilton extended Kirkhill House for John Tod. Sir William Johnston, Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1848 to 1851 and co-founder of W & A K Johnston the map makers, owned the building between 1848 and 1888.

The hotel is part of a group listing with Kirkhill Lodge.