Gate-Piers And Boundary Walls, Gates, Reiverslaw, Bonnington Road, Peebles

Gate-Piers And Boundary Walls, Gates, Reiverslaw, Bonnington Road, Peebles

This is a substantial Arts and Crafts estate designed by A Hunter Crawford between 1902 and 1904, comprising a 2-storey and attic 5-bay gabled manor house in the Cotswold style, accompanied by a lodge, garage with accommodation, and ancillary structures.

The Main House

The main building is constructed of randomly snecked cream sandstone with polished ashlar dressings. Windows throughout are mullioned with moulded reveals. The roof features skews with moulded ashlar coping and platform skewputts, overhanging eaves, and terracotta tiles and cans.

The entrance elevation has projecting square 2-storey gabled windows in the left and inner right bays, with paired bipartite windows to both floors on their outer faces. At ground level, bipartite windows extend to the returns with transoms. The centre of this elevation is dominated by a Tudor arched doorway set within a pilastered doorpiece with cartouche and strapwork cresting framing an oculus; a 2-leaf wrought-iron grille protects the opening. A pier to the left supports a wrought-iron lamp. The remaining bays contain windows breaking the eaves line with gabled dormerheads at first-floor level; the inner left bay has tripartite windows to both floors, the centre bay has bipartites, and the outer right bay is blank at ground level with a bipartite window at first floor. A single-storey 2-bay service wing is set back to the right, containing a door and bipartite window. A modern roughcast garage stands beyond this.

The south elevation features a projecting broad gabled end. A projecting square window bay at ground level to the left has a solid coped parapet with a pair of bipartite windows and single windows to the return; a sundial is positioned to the right. A bipartite window appears at first floor to the left, and a tripartite attic window is at the centre of the gablehead. A blank return lies to the left.

The west elevation displays three gables at centre with irregular fenestration. The centre gable contains two windows to each floor. A projecting 1.5-storey canted stair tower to the right features a tripartite window and a blank date panel to the parapet. The right gable contains a modern lean-to conservatory at ground level and a tripartite window at first floor. The left gable has tripartite windows to both floors with transoms at ground level, and a tiny attic window. A gabled return to the right includes a projecting chimney breast with a pair of diagonally set apex stacks and small windows to each floor; an initialled panel appears at the apex. To the left stands a single-storey 2-bay service wing with an adjoining slightly later advanced piend-roofed single-storey dry-dashed pavilion.

The north elevation shows two gables of the main block. The left gable contains two windows to both floors and a single attic window in the gablehead. The right gable is largely obscured by the service wing, with an apex stack from which ashlar facing has been removed. The pavilion to the right features a lead-roofed canted timber window.

Throughout the house, leaded casement windows are fitted. Later, arrow-headed wrought-iron grilles have been attached to the outside over every window. Corniced ashlar stacks have incised divisions. Cast-iron rainwater goods are installed throughout.

The interior was not seen in 1994 but is possibly very fine.

The Lodge

The lodge is a single-storey T-plan building at the north-east corner of the site, abutting the entrance gates, with a modern rendered extension.

The east elevation forms a boundary wall with a quadrant wall to the gatepiers abutting to the left, and contains two windows. The south elevation has an advanced gable to the right with a canted window, a bipartite window at centre, and a slit in the gablehead; a door to the left is set within a modern glazed porch. A modern range extends to the far left.

Leaded casement windows with wrought-iron grilles (matching those of the main house) are throughout. A wrought-iron lamp is positioned at the south-east angle.

Boundary Walls, Gatepiers and Gates

Quadrant boundary walls feature moulded coping and inset balustrade, with scrolled consoles abutting the lodge to the north and a pier with ball finial to the south. Square corniced ashlar gatepiers have inset chamfered angles and ball finials on cushions. Elaborate wrought-iron gates are hung between the piers. A low rubble boundary wall with boulder coping extends to the south.

The Garage

The garage is 2-storey, incorporated with substantial accommodation and workshops, and abuts the boundary wall at the north-west corner of the site.

The east elevation has an opening to the right framed by ashlar piers with a box dormer above. A slightly advanced blank pavilion at centre features a gabled bipartite dormer and piended roof. A gabled dormer extends to the right return. A door is set back to the left.

The south elevation contains four irregular bays. Later concrete additions at ground level include an iron stair and balcony. The right bay has a pair of barred windows (now bricked up). A projecting gabled inner left bay contains a bipartite (stair) window. The centre bay has paired windows in a gabled dormer. The broad gabled left bay has an altered opening at first floor (now a door with flanking windows).

The west elevation is a blank wall with a box dormer.

Leaded casement windows are fitted throughout; those to box dormers are timber. Coped masonry stacks provide chimneys.

Ancillary Structures

A gabled T-plan timber glasshouse stands to the west of the site, abutting a brick garden wall.