Stables, Kailzie House

Stables, Kailzie House

This single-storey building with attic is a multi-bayed, rectangular-plan mixed-style courtyard complex of stables, kennels, and associated cottages, built circa 1811 for Robert Nutter Campbell. The complex is constructed of coursed whinstone rubble with ashlar dressings featuring projecting margins and droved tails. Some replacement pink ashlar lintels and surrounds are present. The courtyard is laid with cobbles and a gravelled centre.

The principal south-east elevation presents a symmetrical Gothic facade with a 4-bay arrangement. At the centre stand a pair of tall rusticated ashlar gatepiers with fluted friezes and ball finials. Flanking walls with mutuled coping sweep toward these gatepiers, each containing a keystoned niche at centre. To the left adjoins a 3-bay Groom's Cottage (single storey and attic) with a central entrance door and a bipartite stone-mullioned window in the right bay. To the right stands a 3-bay Courtyard Cottage (single storey and attic) with regularly placed bays; the central bay formerly served as the entrance door.

The south-west elevation is regularly fenestrated to the cottages with some attic dormers. The north-west elevation features a low lean-to to the extreme left with a door to the right return and a large window, with a small former door adjacent. A hayloft dormer breaks the eaves to the right with a timber door and slated cheeks. Near the centre is a rectangular pend (formerly segmental) leading through to the courtyard. To the right stands Stable Cottage with 3 regularly placed bays to the left with paired attic dormers, and further regular fenestration to the right with an entrance door.

The north-east or parkland elevation displays a single-storey 4-bay range at centre with surviving and blind Gothic windows. At the flanks stand 2-storey screen-facade crenellated towers. The left tower features an infilled segmental cart arch at ground floor with paired arched windows to the upper storey; the right tower is similar but has much later timber doors to the ground floor segmental cart arch with paired arched upper bays now blind.

Within the courtyard, the north-west elevation contains a near-central segmental-arched pedestrian entrance pend with paired segmental-arched cart entrances to the right, both fitted with 2-leaf timber and glazing doors. To the left of the pend is a blind wall. An L-plan cottage adjoins at the extreme left, forming the west angle of the courtyard range, with plain skews breaking the roofline and supporting a stack. The north-west arm has a window, louvred ventilator above, and small window to the left; a large louvred ventilator is positioned above. The south-west arm has a boarded timber entrance door and long roof ventilator.

The south-west courtyard elevation comprises a long range with timber Dutch-doors to the right and a gabled canted dormer with sidelights adjacent to the left. A slightly lower flat-roofed single-storey 4-bay extension extends from the centre left with alternate window-door fenestration. A piended cottage forms the south courtyard angle at the extreme left, with a flat-roofed attic dormer and a further flat-roofed extension with a bipartite window facing north-east.

The south-east courtyard elevation shows the rear of the gatepiers and screen walls at centre, with the south-angle cottage to the right. To the left, the rear of the screen wall is concealed by a much later timber and glazing lean-to (gift shop). An adjoining single-bay arm of the east-angle cottage contains a timber entrance door.

The north-east courtyard elevation comprises a 5-bay range with piended timber haylofts breaking the eaves at the 1st and 4th bays. The former rectangular cart arch to the 1st bay has been altered to form French windows with a pair of exterior sliding timber shutters. Windows occupy the 2nd and 3rd bays, an entrance door (below the hayloft) serves the 4th bay with a window to the 5th. The east-angle cottage adjoins to the extreme right.

Windows throughout feature 4, 6 and 8-pane glazing in timber sash-and-case frames; some multi-pane fixed windows have opening top hoppers to dormers, and modern glazing appears on some extensions. The roof is pitched and piended slate with lead ridging, flashings and valleys. Iron ventilators ornament the roofline, along with cast-iron Carron lights. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. Short ashlar stacks (one harled) feature ashlar neck copes; decorative hexagonal cans are present, with some later plain replacements.

The interior is currently in use as accommodation, a gallery, shop and tea room. Some original features survive but have been updated to provide modern facilities.