Sawmill House, High Street, Ayton

Sawmill House, located on High Street in Ayton, likely dates back to the late 18th century, with later additions and alterations. This two-storey building features a five-bay rectangular-plan residential range, with a four-bay arrangement on the first floor, forming the end of a terrace. At the rear, there is a lower two-storey, four-bay wing that projects, along with a lower piended addition that was formerly a sawmill. An adjoining shed creates a near U-plan layout. The structure is built of rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings, a harled side elevation, and a rendered, piended block at the rear. The front displays rusticated quoins and long and short surrounds to the openings, with painted margins and projecting cills.

On the northeast (entrance) elevation, there is a deep-set timber panelled door in the penultimate bay on the outer left, featuring a decorative fanlight. Flanking bays have single windows at the ground floor, and all three bays have aligned single windows on the first floor. Another deep-set timber panelled door is located in the penultimate bay on the outer right, with an opaque fanlight above it. This side also has single windows at both floors in the outer right bay.

The southeast (side) elevation includes a gabled block on the right with a single window at ground level, offset to the right of centre. To the left, a lower four-bay range is recessed, featuring two segmental-arched cart arches at ground level, with various modern insertions and tooled voussoirs. There is a blocked doorway at ground level on the outer right, a blocked squat opening on the outer left, and a small window at the first floor in the outer right bay. The remaining three bays to the left have single windows. Adjoined to the left is a lower two-storey range with single windows at the ground floor and a centrally located two-leaf boarded timber loading door at the first floor, flanked by windows.

The building predominantly features 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows, with some 4-pane glazing at the rear. There are modern dormers and rooflights present. The front range has a grey slate roof with stone-coped skews, while the rear wings have pantiled roofs, with some areas featuring a grey slate easing course. The structure has corniced ridge and apex stacks, along with various chimney cans.

The interior was not seen in 1998. The site is enclosed by rubble boundary walls.