Currie House

Currie House is a harled dwelling with a 17th century core, substantially enlarged and altered in 1815 and again in the late 19th century. The building is 2 storeys with an attic storey, arranged in a near L-plan configuration. Primary dressings to ground and first floor windows and quoins are droved stone.

The southeast elevation, which serves as the entrance front, comprises 3 bays. A 2-storey addition from 1881 occupies the left side, topped with a piended roof and featuring large tripartite windows at ground and first floor level. The central portion is a recessed entrance bay, probably dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, where a reproduction 1881 open timber porch has been installed; a window sits above to the right. A single timber attic dormer with plain bargeboards and a timber finial marks the apex. To the right stands an advanced wing from 1815, containing single windows to ground and first floor and a central attic dormer.

The northeast elevation shows a lean-to addition in the penultimate bay to the right, punctuated by a small vertical opening and timber boarded door. The roof of a single-storey wing extends to the outer right, featuring a boarded timber door, a 2-pane fanlight, and a small window above on the left return. The 1815 wing displays irregular fenestration at its centre.

The northwest elevation presents an advanced gabled wing to the left, possibly dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, with windows centred to the gablehead on the right return. The central bays, representing the original portion, exhibit irregular fenestration and 2 dormers to the attic floor. A stepped-down 19th century addition to the right contains a single window.

The southwest elevation shows a window to the left of the ground floor and one centred to the first floor of an advanced section to the left (late 19th century). Regular fenestration marks the recessed bays to the right, with 2 attic dormers. A round-headed window sits at ground level beneath the porch, with a datestone reading "1815" set in the wall above.

Throughout the building, windows are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case frames in the original style, with iron bars primarily to ground floor windows. Grey slate roofs feature lead ridges. Stone skews finish the northwest wing and lean-to addition. Cast iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. Wallhead stacks are predominantly tooled squared and snecked coped stone with octagonal cans.

The interior has been largely reconstructed in a style sympathetic to the original house. Original timber panelled doors and some original skirting boards survive, supplemented by reproduction cornicing. An original staircase with decorative ironwork balusters remains in place.

The gates, gatepiers and boundary walls are listed as part of this structure. A random rubble perimeter wall with semi-circular coping extends along the east side and around to the southwest. At the southwest entrance, 1881 droved red sandstone square gatepiers set in quadrant formation are inscribed "AB 1881" and "SB 1881" (denoting Brown of Currie) and feature decorative cast iron gates and railings. Droved sandstone square gatepiers also stand at the southeast, though their gates have been removed.

Historically, Currie House was reputedly constructed using stones from a former house of the same name which stood on a nearby hill. That earlier building is said to have served as an inn for sightseers visiting Borthwick Castle. The estate was modest in scale, comprising the main house, surrounding gardens, a walled garden, Currie Cottage (formerly home to the rabbit catcher, now much extended), and a stable block with adjacent fields originally positioned behind the walled garden but recently demolished. The walled garden, listed separately, no longer forms part of Currie House but is owned by Borthwick Castle.