Purves Hall

Purves Hall is a house largely dating to the later 19th century, incorporating fabric from the later 17th century and with service blocks added in 1908 and 1938. The main block is a symmetrical, two-storey, three-bay building in a plain classical style, with a full-height, single-bay projection recessed to the outer right and a single-storey, single-bay projection to the left. A two-storey service wing is recessed to the outer left. The exterior is predominantly constructed from squared and snecked, tooled cream sandstone, with the later service wing finished in squared and snecked-effect, tooled render. Architectural details include a raised base course, raised eaves course, corniced eaves, stugged quoins, stugged surrounds to openings, sandstone mullions and projecting cills.

The northwest (entrance) elevation features a flat-roofed porch centred at ground level, containing a timber-panelled door, narrow sidelights, a round-arched fanlight, a keystoned door surround, angle pilasters, and corniced eaves. A tripartite window is aligned at the first floor. Bipartite windows are located in the flanking bays at both ground and first floors. A single window is at ground level in the recessed bay to the outer right, with a blocked opening above. The single-bay projection to the left has a bipartite window at ground level and a piend-roofed bipartite dormer breaking the eaves. The recessed service wing to the outer left includes a piended porch offset to the left of centre and a flat-roofed projection to the right.

The southwest (side) elevation exhibits a three-bay arrangement with a full-height piended projection at the centre. The ground floor window surround is keystoned and round-arched, with pilastered reveals; a fluted pilaster is dated '1675' with a carved foliate capital. A blocked bipartite window is aligned at the first floor. A small window at first floor is recessed to the outer left, while a bay recessed to the outer right is blind at both floors.

The southeast (rear) elevation shows a three-bay house with bipartite windows at both floors in a central, full-height bow. A tripartite window is at ground level in the bay to the right, and a bipartite window is aligned at the first floor over a bipartite door opening at ground level in the bay to the left. A full-height, single-bay projection is recessed to the outer left with single windows at both floors. A single-storey, single-bay projection to the right features steps leading to a two-leaf, small-pane glazed door, with narrow sidelights and a tripartite window above. A panel is dated '1908' between the floors. The irregularly fenestrated two-storey, three-bay service wing is recessed to the outer right. Mostly plate glass timber sash and case windows are present, with some four-pane glazing at the rear, and a few small rooflights. Grey slate piended roofs are topped with brick-built ridge and wallhead stacks and various circular cans. Iron rainwater goods are fitted.

The interior includes timber-panelled doors, some timber dado panelling, a timber stair with balustered uprights, panelled, corniced and ball-finialled square-plan newels, timber handrails, decorative plasterwork to ground floor reception rooms, and some original fireplaces. The remainder of the interior was not inspected in 1998. A harl-pointed rubble wall to the west incorporates a large, round-arched opening flanking the entrance.