Eastern Outbuilding, Arniston House

Arniston House is an exceptionally fine Palladian country house, begun by William Adam between 1726 and 1733, with the west jamb and orangery added by John Adam between 1754 and 1758, a porch added by Wardrop and Reid in 1872, and the north pediment rebuilt by Robert Rowand Anderson in the late 19th century. The main body of the house — the corps de logis — is three storeys over a basement and nine bays wide, connected by two-storey, three-bay links to two-storey, three-bay pavilions. The walls are built of tooled coursed pinkish sandstone rubble, originally harled, with polished dressings. The wings are random rubble. Throughout, the building features a base course, a dividing band course between the basement and ground floors, long-and-short V-jointed rusticated quoins, relieving arches, and a moulded eaves course.

NORTH (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION

The north elevation is symmetrical.

Corps de logis: The bays are grouped 2-5-2. A single-storey, three-bay tooled coursed ashlar porch, added in 1872 by Wardrop and Reid, projects forward at the centre of the ground floor. It has a round-arched doorway at its centre with a Gibbs surround, flanked by engaged Tuscan columns, and surmounted by an open pediment enclosing a scrolled cartouche bearing the initials "RD" for Robert Dundas. The door itself is a two-leaf panelled timber door. The flanking bays of the porch have round-arched niches, also with Gibbs surrounds, set on Tuscan pilasters. Clasping Tuscan blocked pilaster buttresses finish the angles. The left and right returns of the porch have Venetian windows and blocked pilasters to the angles, with a continuous moulded cornice and coped balustrade. Round-arched windows sit above small basement windows at the re-entrant angles where the porch meets the main façade.

At first-floor level, the three centre bays have three niches with keystones, and above these, at second-floor level, are three architraved windows surmounted by a carved pediment — rebuilt around 1890 — enclosing the Dundas and Oliphant coat of arms, supported on four engaged Ionic columns. The two flanking bays have regular fenestration. The outer bays are advanced and feature small windows with rusticated surrounds at basement level, windows with keystone and Gibbs surrounds at ground floor, a dividing band course, architraved windows with keystones at first floor, and windows with moulded surrounds at second floor. A continuous dentil-moulded cornice runs above, with a coped balustrade.

Links: The links are angled and symmetrical, two storeys and three bays, having been raised from a single storey by Wardrop and Reid in 1877. The centre bay of each has a polygonal-headed doorway with a Gibbs surround — glazed on the left link, panelled on the right — surmounted by a pediment. The angles have pilasters supporting a basket-arched frame. The flanking bays at ground floor have octagonal windows with Gibbs surrounds, and above each is a single window with a keystone and moulded surround. A moulded cornice with coped balustrade and urn finials crowns the whole.

Pavilions: The pavilions are symmetrical, with regular fenestration to their north elevations. The three-bay inside returns have Venetian windows to the centre of the ground floor and regular fenestration to the flanking bays. At first-floor level there are two small windows to the centre and regular fenestration to the flanking bays.

WEST ELEVATION

The west elevation of the corps de logis is symmetrical, two storeys over a basement, and six bays wide. The basement has nine-pane windows with keystones and rusticated surrounds. The ground floor has pedimented windows with moulded surrounds. The outer left bay at basement and ground floor is masked by the link. The upper floor has architraved windows.

West elevation of the west pavilion: This is four bays wide. The centre ground-floor bay has an infilled doorway; to its right is a panelled timber door with a two-pane fanlight, and to the outer right is a window. The centre two bays of the first floor have two small windows, with windows to the outer right and left bays. A later wing projects forward from the outer right, and this elevation was not inspected in 1997. The left return, which faces the courtyard, is dated 1888 on a shouldered wallhead stack. It has a glazed door to the left bay at ground level and regular fenestration elsewhere.

SOUTH ELEVATION

The south elevation is symmetrical.

Corps de logis: The walls here are tooled random rubble, seven bays wide, grouped 2-3-2. A flat-roofed porch of around 1800 projects forward at the centre, running through basement and ground floor, and is approached by a perron stair also of around 1800. The basement windows within the porch have six-pane bars and are blind to the centre. Above, a balustraded dividing band course separates the basement from the ground floor. At ground floor each bay has a large window flanked by engaged Corinthian columns supporting a moulded frieze. Glazed two-leaf timber doors with two-pane fanlights open from the left and right returns, reached by balustraded swept stone steps of around 1800. The basement and ground floors have regular fenestration, and the centre three bays have round-arched windows with keystones above. At second-floor level there are three nine-pane windows breaking the eaves cornice, surmounted by a pediment incorporating the carved Scottish Royal Coat of Arms together with a thistle and rose and the motto "NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSET", all surmounted by a pair of sphinxes. The flanking bays have regular fenestration.

Links:

Left link: Five bays wide, with the bays to the left obscured by trees. The penultimate bay to the right has a window at first-floor level with a moulded surround and keystone, and a small window to the outer right at ground level. The flanking bays have windows to the first floor. Pilasters support a basket-arched frame at the angles, and a blocking course with stone urns finishes the angles.

Right link: Has a doorway positioned off-centre to the right of the centre bay, reached by stone steps and fitted with a two-leaf timber door. Above this, to the centre of the first floor, is a window. The flanking bays have windows at first-floor level, and to the right-hand ground floor there is a barred window positioned off-centre to the left. Pilasters support a basket-arched frame at the angles, and a blocking course with stone urns finishes the angles. The right return has two windows at ground-floor level to the left bay, a blank panel above, and windows at both ground and first-floor levels to the right bay. A recessed bay to the outer right has a window at ground level and a blind window above.

EAST ELEVATION

The east elevation of the corps de logis is symmetrical and six bays wide, with regular fenestration to all floors. The outer right bays at basement and ground level are masked by the link. The first and second floors above have blind windows.

East elevation of the east pavilion: Asymmetrical and five bays wide. The ground floor has large round-arched doorways to the centre bay, the penultimate bay to the right, and the outer right bay. The centre and penultimate right bays have glazed two-leaf doors; the outer right bay opens to a garage and is flanked by a small window. The penultimate bay to the left has an infilled round-arched doorway, and the outer left bay is blank. The first floor has irregular fenestration.

ORANGERY AND WEST OUTBUILDINGS

Dating from around 1753, these are two storeys in height and originally of U-plan, with the courtyard now roofed over. The outbuildings are linked to the west of the house by a single-storey lean-to with a corrugated iron roof and two two-leaf boarded timber doors to the north elevation. A random rubble wall with polished gatepiers to the north of the lean-to forms a courtyard to the rear of the pavilion.

North elevation: Asymmetrical and seven bays wide. The centre bay and the penultimate bays to the left and right have round-arched doorways with impost detail. The bay immediately to the right of centre has a plain doorway. The bay to the left of centre has a window flanked by two further windows. The outer right bay is blind, and the outer left bay has a window with a small window to its right. The penultimate bay to the right and the outer right bay have large louvred openings, with regular fenestration elsewhere.

West elevation: Three bays wide. The centre bay was originally an open courtyard and is now covered by a gable timber roof. The inside left return has irregular fenestration. The bay to the right has an infilled doorway positioned off-centre to the left at ground level, with a blind window above. The outer right bay contains the Orangery entrance: a Venetian doorway set in a recessed round arch, fitted with a boarded, glazed two-leaf timber door with an eight-pane fanlight.

South elevation (Orangery): Seven bays wide and symmetrical, built of droved snecked sandstone rubble with polished dressings. The centre bay has a round-arched doorway set in a recessed round arch, with a boarded, glazed two-leaf timber door with an eight-pane fanlight. The remaining bays each have round-arched windows with long-and-short voussoirs and impost details.

East elevation: Seven bays wide and near-symmetrical. The centre bay at ground floor has a large window opening flanked by two panelled timber doors. The three central bays have regular fenestration at first-floor level. The outer bays are advanced; the ground floor of the penultimate bay to the left and the outer left bay are obscured by the lean-to described above, though their first-floor windows remain visible. The penultimate bay to the right has a window at ground level, and the outer right bay has a doorway at ground level with a single window above at first-floor level. A small rooflight occupies the centre.

STABLES, EAST OUTBUILDINGS AND EAST COURTYARD

Two storeys in height and of U-plan, these outbuildings are linked to the east of the house at the rear of the pavilion by a random rubble wall to the south with a boarded timber door, and by a coursed rubble coped wall to the north that sweeps down to the east, with polished gatepiers with spherical caps at the far east, all enclosing a cobbled courtyard in which a mounting block remains in place.

North elevation: Nine bays wide and near-symmetrical. The third and seventh bays from the left have round-arched doorways at ground level with two-leaf boarded timber doors and five-pane fanlights. The remaining ground-floor bays have regular fenestration. The first floor has five windows, with the outer right window breaking the eaves line.

West elevation: Seven bays wide and asymmetrical. The centre bay and the flanking bay to its left have wide round-arched doorways at ground level with glazed boarded timber doors, now used as garages. A 20th-century lean-to addition projects forward from the flanking bay to the right, with a window and boarded timber door to its left return and a slate roof. The first floor of the centre bay has a piended dormer, and the flanking bay to the right has a small four-pane window. The outer bays are advanced; the outer left and outer right bays each have a doorway with a relieving arch fitted with a boarded timber door, and a piended dormer above at first-floor level. The penultimate bay to the right also has a piended dormer at first-floor level, while the penultimate bay to the left is blank. A pall stone occupies the outer left corner.

South elevation: Partially obscured by trees. Seven bays wide, each bay having a round-arched window with impost detail.

East elevation: Three bays wide, with the centre bay recessed and the inside returns obscured by two timber lean-to additions. The inside right return has a window opening that breaks the eaves, with a cat-slide roof. The outer right bay has windows positioned off-centre to the right at both ground and first-floor levels. The outer left bay has a large opening with a metal lintel at ground level and a window opening positioned off-centre to the left at first-floor level.

East Courtyard: The south, east, and north sides are built of tooled snecked rubble with droved dressings and polished ashlar coping. The outbuildings and stables form the west side. There is an opening to the west of the north wall. A lean-to shelter with a corrugated iron roof runs along the inside of the north wall. The floor is cobbled.

WINDOWS, ROOFS AND RAINWATER GOODS

Windows throughout are predominantly twelve-pane timber sash and case, with thicker astragals largely dating from the William Adam scheme. Roofs are piended grey slate with lead ridges. Chimney stacks are primarily double and triple corniced ashlar ridge stacks with circular cans. Rainwater goods are mainly cast iron, with some lead downpipes and decorative hoppers.

INTERIOR

The entrance hall is arcaded through two storeys and features baroque plasterwork by Joseph Enzer, executed between 1730 and 1735. It also contains a clock dated 1592 from the original tower house, now housed in an 18th-century case by Francis Brodie of Edinburgh. The Oak Room has fine panelling and a basket-arched William Adam fireplace with late 19th-century overmantles, and opens into a porch of around 1800 leading to the garden. The Old Library on the second floor has plasterwork by Enzer, including an elaborate frieze and plaster vaults; the original bookcases have since been grained and now house a porcelain collection. The dining room, restored in 1995, and the drawing room, restored in 1997, are in the west range and were designed by John Adam in 1753; the plasterwork in the drawing room was designed by John Adam and executed by Philip Robertson between 1762 and 1763. The New Library was designed by Thomas Brown and Adam Lumsden between 1866 and 1868, with a fireplace in the Jacobean style inscribed "ELD 1868 RD". The remains of a railway that once ran from the old kitchen to the dining room are still in evidence.

HA-HA

A stone ha-ha runs east to west to the north of the house.

SUNDIAL

A sundial stands at the centre of the south lawn. It is of circular plan with egg-and-dart carving around the base of the shaft, gadrooning to the base of the waisted neck, and a gnomon ornamented with a raised thistle.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Arniston House is regarded as an exceptionally fine example of a country house designed, in the words of Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, for "convenience and use." The land on which the Arniston Estate stands was originally used by King Malcolm for hunting from Edinburgh Castle, and changed hands several times over the following centuries. After the Reformation, the property was divided into several units. The most significant portion was bought in 1571 by George Dundas, 16th laird of the Dundas Estate, as an inheritance for his son James from his second marriage to Katherine Oliphant — the union of these two families being commemorated by the elephant of the Oliphant family and the lion of the Dundas family on the North Lodges (listed separately). George Dundas already had an heir to his existing estate at South Queensferry from his first marriage. James took over the Arniston estate around 1600, and the original house is thought to have been built around 1620 as a U-plan building with a large walled garden. He extended the estate by purchasing farms including Castleton (listed separately). His grandson Robert inherited the estate in 1679 and, on returning from exile in Holland in 1689, began to improve Arniston with the intention of building a new house and laying out the grounds in the manner of continental mansions he had seen abroad. Improvements to the gardens were begun, but it was Robert's son — also named Robert — who commissioned William Adam to design the new mansion house.

The design of the present Arniston House was clearly influenced by James Gibbs's design for Down Hall in Essex, though it was by no means a copy. Adam was also inspired by the ideas of Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, for whom he had designed Mavisbank (completed in 1727). Clerk's poem The Country Seat described the useful country house, which Arniston undoubtedly exemplifies, combining good taste with what A.A. Tait described as "the blending of the cultivated with the natural senses." William Adam's design was based on the foundations of the existing 17th-century house. The original entrance was through a three-bay temple front with a rusticated ground floor and round-arched openings, now masked by the 1872 porch addition. The three niches above, originally intended to contain portrait busts, still survive. The remainder of the house was originally harled rubble with single-storey passages leading to the service pavilions. Construction was not completed until the mid-18th century, as Robert ran out of money; by that time William Adam had died, and his son John took on the commission in 1753 for Robert, 4th Lord Arniston. John Adam was responsible for the west range, which he adapted to contemporary taste by replacing the double-height apartments with the dining room and drawing room. Both rooms had been affected by dry rot discovered in 1957 and were subsequently restored — the dining room in 1995 and the drawing room in 1997.

William Adam's layout for the grounds, apparently carried out to the south, mixed formal and informal elements, comprising a bastioned parterre, wilderness, great avenue, cascade, and basin. From the 1750s onwards, a long period of improvement gradually informalised the grounds. John Adam continued where his father had left off and was responsible for some of these changes. By 1764 the parterre and cascade had been removed. In 1791, Thomas White produced an improvement and informalisation plan for the Arniston grounds; although little of it was carried out, the gardens did become more informal towards the beginning of the 19th century. The Scottish Royal Coat of Arms within the pediment of the south elevation, like some of the stones on the rustic bridges in the sunken garden (listed separately), may have originated on Parliament House in Edinburgh, which was re-faced by Robert Reid in 1803.