Stable Block, Wedderburn Castle

Stable Block, Wedderburn Castle

This stable block dates from the later 18th century with subsequent alterations and additions. It comprises two adjoining quadrangular courtyards located to the northwest of Wedderburn Castle, containing stabling, hay and straw barns, and cart and coach sheds.

The buildings are constructed of harl-pointed rubble with droved ashlar and polished ashlar dressings. The north elevation of the south range of the eastern courtyard is harled. Base courses and quoins feature on the east elevation of the eastern courtyard, and relieving arches are visible to earlier fabric. Most buildings are single storey except for a two-storey structure at the east end of the south elevation.

Eastern Courtyard

The east range, east elevation, is a five-bay composition with a broad pedimented and slightly advanced central bay featuring flush quoins and a segmental-arched entrance to the courtyard. Thermal windows occupy each of the flanking bays. The west elevation of the east range has a pilastered and pedimented surround to an arch at the centre (matching the east elevation), with a possibly later two-leaf boarded door to the left of centre and a high two-pane narrow segmentally-arched window to the right of centre. A monopitch roofed addition was formally added to the return at the southeast angle.

The south section of the east range interior remains in use as a stable with timber and cast-iron stalls, cast-iron corner hay hecks to each stall, a lion-faced cast-iron tethering fitting, and cast-iron corner watering basins. The flooring is concrete grid-grooved. The north section serves as a hay and straw barn, open to the rafters.

The east-west range to the north has an irregular north elevation with boarded doors to the outer bays and a window to the left of centre. A brick wallhead stack stands to the right of the door and a droved ashlar wallhead to the right of the window. The south elevation features four segmental-arched ashlar cart shed openings to the left, with modern temporary blinding except for the rightmost opening which has been blinded and harled with a boarded timber door flanked by a window to the right. A boarded sliding door with timber lintel occupies the penultimate bay to the right; a two-leaf timber boarded door with a segmentally-arched two-pane fanlight above serves a narrow store room.

The north-south range to the west has an east elevation that was roofless as of 1995, except for sections over a segmental arch to the second courtyard and to the outer left. Two former byres have doors to the centre of each section with a thermal window centred above each.

The east-west range to the south, formerly a horseman's cottage, is two storeys tall with seven bays irregularly disposed on the south elevation, with a blank wall to the outer right. Doors occupy the outer bays. A door at ground level of the fourth bay (partially glazed) and a penultimate door to the right bay each have a window at first floor above (the penultimate bay to the right has a blinded oculus). The north elevation is almost symmetrical with five bays. A door at the centre features a two-pane rectangular fanlight above. Windows appear at ground and first floor in the flanking bays, and at first floor in the outer bays. A boarded door occupies the bay to the outer right with a rectangular fanlight above.

Inside this range, most shutters remain in place and working. Simple vaulting spans the first floor rooms. The ground level slopes from south to north, making the north windows high and immediately at ground level. Eight- and six-pane windows light the south elevation; the north elevation features mainly modern top-hopper windows of various types. The slate roof has an ashlar coped stack and a red brick modern stack.

Second Courtyard

The east-west range to the north has a blank north elevation aligned with that of the first courtyard. The south elevation is six bays with five shallow segmentally-arched openings to cart and coach sheds to the left, formerly with two-leaf gates. Openings above appear between the outer and penultimate segmental-arched openings. A door to the outer right is now partially blinded with rubble to create a window, possibly originally a stable entrance.

The north-south range to the west has a projecting section at the centre with steps to a two-leaf boarded door. A door to the left features an arrow slit window to the left. A window opening to a byre stands immediately to the right of centre. A segmental-arched opening to the courtyard occupies the penultimate bay, and a segmental-arched opening with keystone appears in the bay to the outer right. The east elevation has a boarded split door at the approximate centre with segmentally-arched openings to the outer bays. The interior comprises barns, byres and store rooms.

The east-west range to the south is single storey with eight bays. A Venetian window occupies the bay to the outer right. A door stands in the third bay, a thermal window in the seventh bay, and a door with a rectangular fanlight above in the bay to the outer right. The north elevation is five bays, formerly with two doors to two bays right of centre; the penultimate right bay is now blinded and the bay to the outer right is partially blinded to make a window. A later rubble and slate monopitch-roofed porch with a door was added in the bay to the outer left. The interior served as a former coachman's house. The slate roof is surmounted by two brick stacks. A square-plan rubble structure occupies the centre of the second courtyard.

Kennels to the southwest of the second courtyard comprise a later brick building with brick walled forecourts and tall iron fencing.