1 Braebuster Cottages, Braebuster

Braebuster Cottages is a farmhouse complex dated 1888 with later alterations and additions. The main house is a substantial 2-storey structure with attic, comprising 3 bays in an asymmetrical L-plan. It features crowstep gables with canted bays and gabled principal bays, built in stugged and snecked sandstone ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. A base course and blocking course above the canted bays are present. Openings have chamfered reveals, with cornice to ground floor windows, long and short margins, hood-mould over the door and attic window.

The principal west elevation displays a date panel over a segmental-arched doorpiece at ground level in the centre bay, with a modern timber-panelled door featuring a segmental-arched fanlight and a window at first floor above. A 3-light canted bay at ground level in the left bay is matched by a bipartite window with trapezium pediment at first floor. A full-height 3-light canted bay to the left of centre has a square panel breaking the blocking course above and a round-arched window to a thistle-finalled gablehead.

The rear east elevation includes a lower 2-storey addition to the right with a further lean-to addition. A shallow rectangular porch at ground level in the centre bay contains a modern timber door with flanking windows. A segmental-arched stair window sits above. A 3-light canted piended-roofed dormer window projects from the left of centre. The lean-to features a blank wall at ground level in an advanced bay to the right, with a blank gabled wall to the addition above, a gablehead stack, and a window to the main house gable with another stack above.

The south side elevation comprises 3 bays grouped 1-2, with windows set to the right at each floor in the gabled main bay to the left and a gablehead stack above. A centred modern timber door with flanking windows sits in a recessed addition to the right, with windows at first floor in each bay. A boarded door gives access to the lean-to at the outer right.

The north side elevation is irregular, with 2 bays. A window is set to the left at each floor in the main gable to the right. Windows at each floor appear in the lower bay to the left, with an additional window flanking at ground level. A blank wall faces the lean-to addition at the outer left.

Windows throughout the main house are predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case. The roof is covered in purple slate with stone ridge, ashlar corniced gablehead stacks, corniced octagonal cans, cavetto-moulded skewputts, and cast-iron rainwater goods. The interior was not inspected in 1998.

Tall square-plan sandstone ashlar gatepiers stand to the north of the house, topped with cornices, stepped caps, and ball finials. A squared rubble boundary wall with rubble cope encloses a roughly rectangular garden surrounding the house.

The steading comprises a C-plan arrangement open to the south. A 2-storey accommodation block to the southwest continues as a 2-storey grain store over a cart shed to the west. Modern single-storey cattle shed ranges to the north and east have replaced original ranges flanking the external elevations. A single-storey dairy range sits to the southeast. All are built in squared rubble.

The south-facing external elevation of the accommodation and store range is near-symmetrical with 4 bays. Windows appear at each floor in the two centre bays and outer right bay. An enlarged window at ground level in the outer left bay is joined by a boarded door with flanking window at first floor above.

The north (farmyard) elevation is more irregular, comprising 5 bays. A window sits at ground level in the centre bay. A boarded door and corresponding first-floor window occupy the bay to the left of centre. Windows at each floor appear in the outer left bay, and a doorway at ground level and a large sliding door at ground level serve the bays to the right.

The west elevation of the grain store and cart shed is regularly fenestrated with windows at first floor in each bay. The east (farmyard) elevation presents 5 bays. A reduced window at ground level in the centre bay has a matching window above. A former door with flanking windows at ground level in the bay to the left has a first-floor window above. A large sliding door at ground level in the outer left bay is matched by a first-floor window. Three segmental cart arches (now blocked) occupy the bays to the right at ground level, with a window at first floor in the outer right bay.

The north and east cattle shed ranges are rectangular-plan modern structures.

The southeast dairy range features a single-storey, irregular 3-bay external elevation to the south. Two boarded doors serve a lean-to addition in the bay to the left of centre. A sliding door occupies the outer left bay, while a window with boarded door above appears in a flat-roofed loft addition to the outer right.

The steading buildings are fenestrated with 12-pane fixed and timber sash and case windows to the accommodation block. Replacement fixed timber-framed windows appear at ground level to the cart shed and grain store, with small-pane upper sashes and louvered lower sashes at first floor. Rooflights illuminate the south pitch of the dairy. The roof is covered in grey slate with piended sections, stone ridge, and corrugated-iron roofs to the modern cattlesheds. Tall squared rubble cornice wallhead stacks flank the farmyard entrance to the south, with cast-iron rainwater goods throughout.

The steading interior includes a timber-lined stairwell with timber stair accessing a first-floor accommodation apartment, boarded ceiling, and a cast-iron fire surround to the east wall. The grain store has a timber floor with exposed rafters. Modern dairy fittings are present.

A 10-bay range to the southwest comprises a pair of single-storey 3-bay cottages, now converted as one with lean-to addition to the rear, a 1½-storey single-bay crowstep-gabled kiln at centre, and a single-storey 3-bay cottage converted as a garage to the right. The cottages are harled, while the kiln is random rubble.

The southeast principal elevation displays a small window at first floor in the centred kiln. Deepset doors with flanking windows occupy the cottage bays to the left, while boarded doors with flanking windows serve the garage bays to the right.

Windows are replacement timber-framed with top-hung upper lights. Roofs comprise graded stone tiles over the cottages and garage with a grey slate roof to the kiln. uPVC rainwater goods are fitted throughout. A timber stair provides access to the first floor, but the remainder was not inspected in 1998.

To the rear (east) of the main house stands a single-storey, 4-bay asymmetrical rectangular-plan cottage. It is harled with a boarded door in the bay to the left of centre. Windows occupy the outer left bay and the three bays to the right.

Replacement timber-framed windows with top-hung upper lights are installed. The roof is modern felt-covered with stone ridge and coped skews. Harled, coped ridge and gablehead stacks support uPVC and cast-iron rainwater goods. The interior was not inspected in 1998.