Mary Vale Cottage, Main Street, Carlops

Mary Vale Cottage is part of a row of six single-storey, three-bay weavers cottages dating to circa 1785, located on Main Street, Carlops. The cottages are built of harled rubble with freestone dressings, and were originally limewashed. Three cottages have gabled timber porches. Later additions to the rear include rendered brick, stone, and timber single-storey extensions and dormers, predominantly from the late 20th century. A canted bay addition is present to the far left, known as Birkenbush. Various 19th-century traditional glazing patterns are found in the timber sash and case windows. The cottages have grey slate roofs, ridge stacks with clay cans, and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Internally, the ground floor layout is generally original, with a kitchen and former workroom flanking a through-passage opening off the front door. The ground floor rooms originally contained box beds and wide lintelled sandstone fireplaces with rounded corbelled supports, although these features no longer survive. Some partition walls are constructed from solid timber frames with rubble infill.

The cottages were built in 1784 by Robert Brown, the laird of Newhall, as part of a linear settlement along the main Edinburgh to Biggar road to house cotton weavers. Following the decline of the textile industry in the late 19th century, the village became a health resort before evolving into a popular destination for visitors to Pentland Hill. This row of six cottages retains a traditional scale, massing and original glazing patterns, contributing significantly to the character of Carlops. They are part of a larger group that comprises other cottages, Carlops Church, the Pentland and Elphinstone, the Allan Ramsay Hotel, and several other row of cottages in the area.