Railings And Gatepiers, Thorniedean House Including Boundary Walls, Melrose Road

Thorniedean House, built around 1865, is a two-storey and attic house with a three-storey and attic section at the rear. It has a rectangular plan and features a distinctive triple-gabled design on both the front and rear elevations, which are arranged on a stepped plan. The front elevation is constructed of squared whin, while the sides and rear are made of whin rubble, with sandstone ashlar dressings throughout. The house is prominently situated on a rise above the Gala Water and is located immediately adjacent to the Edinburgh Road, oriented northwest to southeast. Notable features include large canted ashlar bays on the northwest and southwest sides.

The northeast (front) elevation showcases a stepped design with three gables, a central pilastered entrance, and regular fenestration. There is a corbelled stack on the right gable. The southwest (rear) elevation also has a stepped design with three gables and regular fenestration, featuring a large full-height canted bay on the left gable and a timber lean-to extension on the lower right. The northwest (side) elevation presents a double gable with a wide full-height canted bay on the left.

The windows throughout the house are made of plate glass, with four-pane and multi-pane timber sash and case designs. The roof is covered with green slate, featuring ashlar skews and corbelled skewputts, along with ashlar gablehead stacks and clay cans.

Inside, many original decorative details remain, including plaster cornices, a timber stair with cast iron balusters, a stained glass stair window, a mosaic tiled porch, moulded stone fireplaces, stone shelving in the basement, timber joinery throughout, and herring-bone oak flooring.

The boundary wall consists of a low rubble wall along the road with ashlar coping and a timber fence in place of railings. There is also a high rubble retaining wall to the northwest.