Dunphail House

Dunphail House is a large mansion, originally built in 1828-1829 by William Playfair, with subsequent additions and alterations in 1833 and 1842, and a remodelling in 1871. Further alterations were undertaken in 1964-6 by Ronald Phillips and Partners. The house is constructed in an irregular, picturesque Italianate style, featuring varying roof heights and long north and south elevations. A three-stage tower is situated at the west gable, topped with a shallow pyramidal roof. The exterior is of pinned rubble with polished and tooled ashlar sandstone dressings.

The north entrance front presents a five-bay block at the west, fronted by a wide, single-storey advanced porch with engaged Roman Doric columns, a balustrade, and a recessed segmental-headed entrance sheltering glazed doors beneath a radial fanlight. A further four-bay range extends eastward from the gable, marked by a 1871 datestone. A central porch on this range has been blocked and replaced by a window. A large walled service court to the south is enclosed by a two-storey service dwelling with a pyramidal roof, built in 1842.

The south garden front is symmetrical, with a three-bay block at the west, including a recessed centre bay spanned by a balcony with a decorative balustrade supported by paired pilasters and sheltering a glazed entrance similar to that on the north front (remodelled in 1964-6). The south front extends eastward, featuring round-headed ground floor windows beneath a lean-to roof supported by substantial buttresses, dividing each window bay. A single bay at the end has a segmental-headed loggia, and the first floor is higher with round-headed tripartite windows and a shallow pyramidal roof. The windows retain multi-pane glazing; renewed ridge stacks are present, and the roofs are slate, with a piended profile. The west section has a platform roof and modillioned eaves.

The interior was largely remodelled in 1965-6. A central entrance lobby leads to a wide corridor hall extending through the west range, providing access to a garden door and verandah. There is re-used panelling with niches and bookcases, along with plaster decoration on ceilings, overdoors, panelled doors, and some fluted pilasters delineating the panelling. The drawing room features a carved wooden chimneypiece, decorative overdoor and panelled door beading, and shallow coffering to the ceiling. The dining room incorporates simple moulded ceiling detailing, a corniced overdoor, a marble-topped radiator grille replacing a former chimneypiece, a beaded mahogany door, and a panelled dado. The northwest sitting room, formerly a "Boys Room", contains re-used panelling delineated on the inner wall by three fluted Ionic pilasters. It features round-headed keystoned detailing and a lugged, carved wooden chimneypiece with swagged detailing. The staircase is distinguished by a barley-sugar twist turned wooden balusters, square end newels with carved swags in relief, and urn finials. A monogrammed plaque is fixed to the north exterior. A mural sundial is positioned on the south face of the tower.