Manse Office, Carrington Hill, Manse Road, Carrington

Manse Office, Carrington Hill, Manse Road, Carrington

Built in 1756 as a manse and converted to an office, this is a substantial two-storey building with an attic storey. It is constructed of harled sandstone rubble with polished dressings, long and short quoins, and chamfered window reveals. The building was substantially repaired in 1790 and underwent further alterations and additions by Thomas Brown of Uphall in 1850. Despite these changes, it remains a well-proportioned building retaining much of its original character.

The north-east (principal) elevation is asymmetrical with four bays. It features an advanced gabled bay to the outer left with a centred window to both ground and first floors. A window lights the ground floor of the right return. A flat-roofed single-storey porch dating to 1836 sits in the re-entrant angle to the right, with a window to the centre and a polished sandstone architraved doorway with a panelled timber door facing the right return. Further windows appear in the recessed penultimate bay to the right and the outer right bay at ground floor level, with regular fenestration to the remaining bays at first-floor level.

The north-west elevation is symmetrical, with two gabled bays displaying regular fenestration to both ground and first floors. The south-west elevation is asymmetrical across five bays. It includes an advanced gabled penultimate bay to the right and a single-storey flat-roofed addition to the ground floor with a central window. An off-centre window lights the first floor to the right; the left return has a ground-floor window and a blind window above. The right return has a first-floor window, with the ground floor obscured by a porch addition. The three bays to the left show irregular fenestration. A coped rubble wall with a doorway projects between the penultimate and outer left bays. A twentieth-century glazed lean-to porch is appended to the ground floor of the outer right bay, with a first-floor window and a bipartite dormer above.

The south-east elevation is asymmetrical across four bays. Two replacement small-pane windows appear in the penultimate bay to the right and the outer right bay at ground floor, with regular fenestration above. The penultimate bay to the left and outer left bay are gabled; the penultimate bay to the left has a ground-floor window, and the outer left bay has a glazed door. Regular fenestration lights the first floor, and a four-pane window sits off-centre to the left of the gablehead.

Windows throughout are predominantly twelve-pane timber sash and case with metal-framed exterior secondary glazing. The roof is grey slate with a lead ridge, coped stone skews, shouldered and coped chimney stacks on the south-east elevation, and coped gablehead stacks elsewhere with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods complete the external fabric.

The interior retains original cornices and skirting boards in most locations.

To the south of the house stands a single-storey building built into the angle of the walled garden. It is constructed of random sandstone rubble with rubble dressings, boarded timber doors, and small-pane windows. The roof is graded grey slate with some twentieth-century rooflights, coped stone skews, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Adjacent to the south-east is a pink sandstone rubble garage with droved dressings and a boarded timber two-leaf door, flanked by brick, timber, and harled additions.

To the west of the house are former offices of single-storey and attic construction. They are built of random rubble with rubble and droved dressings. The south-west elevation features a replacement small-pane window and porch; the north-east has a replacement small-pane window; the south-east is blank. An advanced section of wall projects to the centre of the ground floor of the north-west elevation, with a boarded timber door serving the attic above, flanked by a window. The roof is graded grey slate (originally thatched) with a lead ridge, coped stone skews, and coped gablehead stacks with circular cans; cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout.

The walled garden, constructed of random rubble, adjoins the house and ancillary building to the south-east, with a brick-lined wall to the west. Iron gates to the east and west provide access. The west gate is flanked by polished sandstone, coped, square gatepiers. The east gate is flanked by polished sandstone gatepiers coped with chamfered angles and pyramidal caps. Boundary walls throughout are of tooled random rubble with semicircular coping.

According to the Statistical Account, the building underwent thorough repairs in 1790 in addition to its original construction. The improvements by Thomas Brown in 1850 also encompassed alterations to Carrington Kirk. Carrington Hill, which overlooks the village, originally functioned as the parish manse.