Stables, Manderston House

Stables at Manderston House

Designed by John Kinross in 1895, this is a classical stable and carriage house block of considerable refinement, incorporating a groom's house. The complex comprises a principal court of quadrangular plan, a secondary U-plan court for exercising, and a small oblique V-plan service yard to the northwest. The buildings are constructed in rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings, with droved ashlar to the rear of the principal range. A base course and eaves band course run throughout, and rectangular fanlights feature prominently.

Principal Court

The east range is two storeys with a piend roof, containing grooms' accommodation to the south and coachmen's quarters to the north. The east elevation is symmetrical with seven bays. At its centre is a full-height arch with a cavetto reveal, surrounded by coupled Roman Doric pilasters and a pediment. The frieze features fluting flanking a central panel adorned with a heraldic shield, and an oculus lights the tympanum above. The barrel vault beneath is pended with droved ashlar and an impost band. The flanking bays have corniced windows at ground floor and smaller windows above. The south return elevation contains a corniced tripartite window at ground level with a small window above, while the north return is two bays with a window to the left at ground floor, a round-arched door with keystone in a square surround to the right (both corniced), and smaller windows above. The courtyard elevation is in droved ashlar with lower north and south ranges flanking. The arch has a cavetto surround with impost panels carved in low relief with hunting scenes. A wrought-iron bell hangs beneath the pend with pal stones below. Two corniced windows flank the arch, with corniced doors to the outer bays featuring flush-panelled leaves and fanlights. Regular small fenestration continues above, topped by a segmental-headed bipartite timber dormer above the pend.

The south range is a single-storey coach house with a nine-bay south elevation including the return of the two-storey principal range to the outer right. Advanced pedimented bays mark the centre and outer left, each with corniced tripartite windows and carved oval panels in the tympanum—one dated 1895, the other bearing the initials "JMP" (James Percy Miller). Small high windows in the intermediate bays have swagged carved aprons. The courtyard elevation is seven bays, with a slightly advanced pedimented bay at centre breaking the eaves and bearing a clock in its tympanum, beneath which curves a wrought-iron lamp bracket with lantern (serving the coach washing area). High segmental-arched carriage doors flank this feature, with further segmental-arched carriage doors (two-leaf and boarded) in all flanking bays.

The north range is a loose-box range with ten bays to the courtyard. Eight stable doors occupy the centre, each flush-panelled and divided, with tall fanlights and keystones. The outer bays have segmental-arched pends opening to the secondary court, that to the left with a keystone. The outer elevation facing the secondary court is largely blank, with a timber gate to a pend at the outer left and tripartite grilles under the eaves corresponding to the stable doors of the main court.

The west range houses stalls, with a harness room to the north. Seven bays face the courtyard, with a slightly advanced pedimented bay at centre breaking the eaves. This central bay has a wide semicircular door with a radial fanlight and an oval armorial shield panel carved in the tympanum. Windows flank this in the two bays either side (keystoned), while outer bays have segmental-arched doors with keystones and fanlights. The outer elevation features a slightly advanced pedimented bay to the outer right with a blank niche and tripartite stable grilles, topped by an armorial oval carving in the tympanum. To the right of centre, a blank section displays tripartite grilles under the eaves. The elevation to the service court on the left (north) contains M-pedimented bays divided by a corniced stack breaking the gutter, each with two windows and a carved oval in the tympanum.

Secondary Court

A high ashlar-coped screen wall encloses this court to the east, with tall drum piers at centre, their friezes fluted and topped by a modillioned cornice beneath the flat coping. The north range contains stud stables with high rubble-walled enclosures projecting into the exercise yard, each with red inner walls. Stable doors feature fanlights, and a segmental-arched pend opens to the outer left. The rear elevation is largely blank with tripartite wallhead grilles (as in the main court) above the stables and a window to the outer left. The west range has a round-arched opening to the court to the right, flanked by two doors at outer right; to the left is a door flanked by windows and a further round-arched doorway at outer left.

Stud Groom's House

Positioned at the northeast corner of the secondary court, this is a two-storey, three-bay structure. The east (principal) elevation displays a pilastered and pedimented ashlar doorcase at centre with a panelled door and rectangular fanlight, crowned by shield carving in the tympanum. Above, a blank wall-plane bridges between the skews of gabled outer bays, each with windows at both floors; those at first floor are segmental-arched with keystones. The south elevation has a window at ground level with an ashlar panel above under the eaves, bearing an engraved wall-mounted lead sundial dated 1663 and inscribed "Vivat Carolus Secundus". The rear elevation is abutted at ground level by the outer range of the secondary court, with windows to each outer gablehead at first floor.

Service Yard

To the north of the west elevation, this yard is enclosed by an obliquely angled range facing the road and a screen wall to the southwest with drum piers crowned with gadrooned urns. The northwest range presents a symmetrical five-bay elevation to the road, with an ashlar base course and advanced pedimented outer bays displaying corniced windows and small oval armorial carvings in the tympani. Swagged oculi mark the three centre bays (in the manner of the Petit Trianon). The courtyard elevation has a pedimented bay to the outer left with a door flanked by small windows and an oculus in the tympanum. Flanking this centre section is an implement shed, open to the right with cast-iron columns and lean-to timber projections to the centre left. The west elevation of the court displays a pedimented gable to the right (see above) bearing an oval in the tympanum inscribed "JPM 1895 EMC"; a boarded two-leaf door to the outer left, flanked by windows, houses a forage store and forge.

Throughout, small-pane timber sash-and-case windows appear, with casements in the service court. Grey-green slates with lead flashing cover the roofs, and corniced ashlar stacks rise prominently. The courtyards are paved with granite setts; the main court features red setts laid in a pattern of contrasting saltire and border.

Interior

The interior displays exceptional quality throughout. The stables of the main court feature segmental, boarded barrel vaults with swept timber trevises (partitions) supported by massive ball-finialled brass posts. Above each stall, a marble frieze bears name plaques, all beginning with the letter "M". Panelled timber hopper shutters cover the grilles at wallhead height. The tack room is fitted with traceried rosewood cabinets and a marble table, finished with decorative plasterwork cornice and frieze.