The Hermitage, Galahill, Jedburgh

1884-1885. 2-storey 3-bay villa standing on spectacular E facing terraced site. Snecked, bull-faced cream sandstone with polished ashlar dressings; bipartite windows to all bays (unless otherwise stated), tabbed margins, long and short quoins; overhanging timber eaves. Base course. Ashlar mullions, rounded eaves cornice.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: symmetrical; at centre 3 steps to 4-panelled door (brass furniture - Edinburgh handle) with narrow rectangular fanlight in pilastered and corniced doorpiece; moulded bandcourse at level of cornice. Single window above; windows to each floor, with bracketed cills.

S ELEVATION: 2-storey 2-bay (windows to each floor) to right, single storey 2-bay range to left with window at right, door at left.

N ELEVATION: 2-storey 3-bay, right bay lower, slightly set back, with modern lean-to garage beyond. Left bay with canted window at ground (bipartite centre light), with cornice and blocking course. Centre bay with modern (1991) polygonal timber-framed conservatory on rubble base with glass door access.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: round-headed stair window at centre. Low 2-storey piend-roofed projection to left and single storey projection to right. Timber sash and case plate glass windows. Piended roofs, grey slates; pyramidal glass skylights light landing. Stacks detailed as above. Moulded guttering at eaves, cast-iron downpipes with some dated rainwater heads.

INTERIOR: fine surviving entrance hall with etched glass screen to inner hall, both decorative tiled pavements; stair with barley twist turned balusters through archway. Large top-lit landing. Decorative graining and cornices to main rooms.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: rubble wall with droved semi-circular coping go Galahill, swept in at gatepiers (to S of house); polished ashlar square stop-chamfered gatepiers with bases and flat pyramidal caps on cushions. Pedestrian entrance to rear of house, modern carriage entrance introduced to N.