Ravenswood House

Ravenswood House is a large, two-storey and basement mansion built in 1824 by John and Thomas Smith of Darnick, with additions made in 1864 for Admiral Sir Henry Fairfax and further alterations in 1900 for William Young. The house was reconfigured internally between 1961 and 1963. It is designed in the Neo-Tudor style and is located beside the River Tweed on the historic estate of Old Melrose. The building has a long rectangular plan and is constructed of pale sandstone ashlar, featuring a moulded string course between the first and second floors. The facade has irregular fenestration, turreted towers at the corners, castellated parapets, crow-stepped gables, and bi-partite mullioned windows with Tudor hoodmoulds. A raised pointed-arch arcaded loggia is present at the eastern end, and tall diamond-plan chimney flues are located at the western end.

The south (garden) elevation has a 3-3-4 bay arrangement that reflects its construction dates of 1824, 1864, and 1900. The 1824 section features a slightly advanced tower bay flanked by engaged square-plan turrets, with oversailing steps leading to a pointed-arch tripartite window on the ground floor and another tripartite window above. A canted window to the left rises through the basement and ground floor, topped with a castellated parapet. The west elevation has engaged octagonal turrets at the corners and a crow-stepped gable with a carved lion panel flanked by griffin water spouts. The north (entrance) elevation includes a later square-plan castellated porch with slit windows at the center and a date panel from 1864 above.

The 1864 section on the south elevation is lower and features a castellated tower bay on the right, topped with a pyramidal capped, glazed viewing room and a carved inset panel above the ground doorway. The 1900 section on the south elevation includes a sundial inset on the far right crow-stepped gable, with a pointed-arch opening below and a canted balustraded balcony on the first floor. The east elevation has a three-arched arcaded loggia supported by octagonal columns, which returns to the west elevation where there is a pointed-arch loggia opening on the far left and a canted oriel window to the right at the second floor. The windows are predominantly timber sash and case with plate glass glazing, and the roof is covered with grey slate. Cast-iron rainwater goods are also present.