40 East High Street, Lauder

This is a mid-19th century grieve’s cottage with a later 19th-century addition, situated on East High Street in Lauder. The building comprises the original cottage, a single-storey wing that formerly served as bothies, and a walled yard enclosed by a later wing positioned at right angles to the bothy wing. The grieve's cottage features crow-stepped gables.

The principal, or northeast, elevation of the grieve’s cottage is constructed of coursed, stugged whinstone, while the later wing and the northwest elevation of the bothy wing are built of coursed whinstone rubble. Red sandstone ashlar dressings, with a droved finish except for the later addition, are present throughout. Quoins highlight the corners of the grieve's house and the later wing, and lugged architraved openings with rectangular panels above the windows are consistent across the structure.

The northeast elevation, facing the High Street, displays a symmetrical arrangement. A central, 1 1/2-storey entrance porch, topped with a crow-stepped gable, features a boarded timber door and a 4-pane rectangular fanlight, with a narrow dormer window above. Windows flank the porch on either side.

The northwest elevation shows the gable end of the grieve's cottage projecting forward to the left, with a narrow window on the ground floor and a narrow attic window in the gable. To the right, the 10-bay principal elevation of the bothy wing is set back, and has been incorporated into the grieve's house. A boarded timber door and 2-pane overlight are present in the second bay, along with flanking windows, one of which has been inserted. Additional boarded timber doors are found in the 5th, 7th, and 9th bays, each accompanied by a window to the left. A boarded timber door is also located in the outer right bay.

The southeast elevation displays the projecting gable end of the grieve’s cottage on the right, which is connected to the gable end of the later addition via a yard wall with rounded concrete coping. An entrance with a window to its left is present on the return, alongside another window. The rear of the bothy wing contains a single window, an entrance with two windows to the right (one with louvred vents), and is set back to the outer left.

The southwest elevation abuts a barn built around the same time and slightly later.

The windows are primarily multi-pane timber casements. The roofs are covered in grey slate, with coped gablehead stacks on either side of the grieve's house. The stack to the north is surmounted by a tall, later brick stack. Two coped red sandstone ridge stacks and a later tall yellow brick wallhead stack are located on the outer left bay of the southeast elevation of the bothy wing, with a further ridge stack on the later addition. Round cans are present where applicable.

The bothy wing has been adapted for farm use. The interior of the grieve’s house has not been inspected.