Dalkeith House

Dalkeith House is a substantial Classical mansion built by James Smith between 1702 and 1711, incorporating substantial parts of a 15th-century and 16th-century castle. Later additions were made by James Playfair in 1786 and William Burn in 1831. The building is constructed in variegated sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, and takes an irregular U-plan form over three storeys with a basement, including two-storey and basement pavilions and service blocks adjoined to the south that form a U-plan service wing. The masonry features a base course, rusticated quoins, string courses between floors, and moulded eaves cornice to the principal elevation. Moulded lugged architraves adorn the principal elevation, with raised surrounds to remaining elevations and Gibbsian surrounds to many basement windows, some of which are blinded. There is evidence that the building was formerly harled, and some relieving arches remain.

The principal east elevation presents a masterful three-storey U-plan composition with five bays at the centre and outer wings three bays deep returned to the east, terminated by lower piend-roofed pavilions. The design creates a central emphasis forming an open court. The principal floor has tall windows while the second floor features square windows. A heavy pediment crowns a three-bay ashlar centrepiece, divided by four fluted giant Corinthian pilasters. Ashlar steps lead to the entrance, which was reinstated by W Schomberg Scott in 1973, with a simple wrought-iron balustrade. At the centre stands a tall two-leaf panelled door with an eight-pane fanlight, surmounted by a modillioned cornice with ornately carved frieze and dentils. Fenestration is regularly disposed, with panels bearing palm garlands, coronets and a monogrammed shield above the principal floor openings. Architraves are corniced to the principal and first floors. The entablature breaks the eaves, crowned by a projecting ornate modillioned and corniced pediment. The bays flanking the centrepiece are slightly recessed with regularly disposed fenestration. The courtyard returns feature doors in the outer bays to the east with foreshortened windows above. A porch is set in the re-entrant angle between wing and pavilion to the left, constructed in ashlar with cornice, blocking course and pilasters; it contains a two-leaf door to the north with a moulded panel above and a window to the right, with a further window to the east.

The pavilions are two bays deep, with three bays to the east. The north pavilion, advanced from the north elevation, is two bays to the north with blind windows in the bay to the right and four closet windows to the west return. The south pavilion, also two bays to the south, has a porch adjoined at ground level in the re-entrant angle to the north and a service block adjoined at ground level. Fenestration throughout is regularly disposed.

The north elevation comprises nine bays disposed as six-two-one, with the north pavilion advanced to the left and the outer bay to the left being two storeys with basement. A bowed ashlar tripartite window to the principal and first floors occupies the bay to the centre and right of centre, dating to James Playfair's 1786 work. A keystoned splayed-arched arcade appears at basement level with cill courses, cornice and blocking course. Two penultimate bays to the right feature corniced and pilastered tripartite former French windows, now glazed with panelled aprons, at principal floor level. An ashlar forestair extends across the outer bay to the right. Blind windows appear in the outer bay to the right.

The west elevation spans eleven bays arranged as two-two-two-two-three, with two bays to the left advanced. Fenestration is regularly disposed with tall windows to the principal floor and small windows to the second floor. A small corbelled turret with a small window is set in the re-entrant angle to the left at principal floor level, corniced with a leaded roof. Two arrowslits lighting a former turnpike stair appear to the right of the centre bay. Seven bays to the centre and right incorporate substantial evidence of early masonry.

The south elevation features an 1830s addition of two two-storey piend-roofed service wings forming a U-plan service court, sited on falling ground and incorporating earlier fabric. Evidence of demolished fabric is visible. The main house elevation shows irregular disposition of bays and plan due to the inclusion of castle fragments, with two tall multi-pane stair windows divided by an ashlar stack with angle pilasters. A roughly canted bay to the court has a roof swept down unevenly to first floor height with recessed dormers; evidence of former kitchen services survives at ground level. The south pavilion is advanced to the right.

The service wings, dating to circa 1830, are constructed in cream sandstone rubble with rusticated quoins to the east. The west wing spans seven bays to the west, with a bay to the outer left canted in a re-entrant angle and a bay to the left of centre recessed. Gibbsian surrounds and window bars are employed, with a service lean-to to the east featuring stone piers. The east wing comprises five bays to the east with a single-storey flat-roofed contemporary projection at ground level; a bay advanced to the left to the south features a semicircular-arched voussoired entrance to a recessed porch to the right return.

Fenestration throughout employs small-pane glazing patterns in sash-and-case windows, some multi-pane, some fixed and some double-glazed. Original lead rainwater goods with heads and fixtures decorated with coronets are retained. Roofing comprises grey slates to piend and piend-and-platform roofs with some swept eaves and lead flashing. Tall imposing corniced wallhead and ridge stacks with angle pilasters, some ashlar and some harled, rise prominently. Roof lights are present.

The interior retains substantial evidence of the earlier castle, including vaulted ceilings and two turnpike staircases to the south. The entrance hall features oak panelling and a black and white marble tessellated floor with a painted frieze. The hall to the grand staircase is divided by a two-bay marble basket-arched arcade with Corinthian column and pilasters. The stair well is lined with marble panelling. A wide half-turn stair with landings to the south features delicate wrought-iron balustrade with birch handrail (a late 18th-century replacement) and white marble steps with parquetry treads.

A suite of six state rooms to the west comprises a great ante-chamber to the south, morning-room, book-room, ante-room, Duchess's sitting-room, and boudoir in the north-west angle. These rooms feature varied decoration including marble chimneypieces, overmantels and architraves, oak panelling, carved cornices, and gilt cornices and panel mouldings. The Duchess's sitting-room contains a red marble chimneypiece with a carved white marble overmantel featuring "The Story of Neptune and Gallatea" by Grinling Gibbons, dated 1701, surmounted by a blue glass panel with silver monogram and red marble border. The boudoir has an elaborately garlanded white marble chimneypiece with a painted mirror overmantel surmounted by a carved monogram. A library to the north contains bookshelves by James Blaikie (1769–70) and a marble chimneypiece by Alex Govan (1771). An armoury features an ashlar chimneypiece with a monogrammed overmantel. Brass door furniture by Oakes Bickford of London dates to 1704–05.

A retaining wall of flat-coped rubble with buttresses stands to the south-east of the house. Two elegant decorative cast-iron lamp standards flank the steps to the east elevation. Decorative 19th-century cast-iron lamp standards inscribed "Jas Ferguss, Tayport" stand to the south-west drive.