Fernbank, Rait

Fernbank is a pair of single-storey, three-bay thatched cottages, now combined into a single dwelling, dating from the 17th or early 18th century, with alterations made in the 19th century. The cottages form part of a small group of thatched buildings in the settlement of Rait, Perthshire, and are situated on a raised site that slopes gently eastward.

The building has a roughly rectangular plan, though the east end is angled to follow the road and a nearby burn. It is constructed from random rubble, harl-pointed and painted, with rough projecting footings and rounded corners, and slightly raked walls. The front elevation, facing southwest, is divided into two roughly equal sections, each featuring two windows on either side of a central doorway. The gabled end elevations are blank. The rear (northeast) elevation has four window openings of unequal size. The window openings are small and deeply set, particularly at the rear, with smooth rendered rybats.

Most of the windows in the front elevation are replacement four-pane timber casements. The rear elevation features a variety of window types and glazing patterns, including two multi-pane traditional fixed windows. The doors are vertical timber boarded; the east door has a three-light transom, while the surround of the west door has been partially built up with painted brick. The pitched roof is reeded thatch, rethatched around 1998, with a concrete ridge and timber skews. Two squared red brick chimneystacks are positioned centrally, and one is on the west gable, each topped with a clay pot.

The interior, inspected in 2017, is largely of 20th century design and layout, with the exception of the roof structure. There's a change in floor levels between the east and west sections of the building. The roof, concealed by a false ceiling, is ancient and features a timber A-frame with vertical struts. The timbers are roughly hewn, some retaining bark and appearing as whole trunks or branches, with joints generally nailed but some pegged. The thatch covering is exposed, and some additional purlins have been added.