Bughtrig

Bughtrig

This is a substantial country house dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, substantially remodelled in the late 19th century, with further additions and alterations undertaken subsequently. The building was originally conceived as a symmetrical two-storey house with basement and three bays in the classical style. It now comprises a three-bay central block with single-storey and basement flanking wings on either side.

The house is constructed in coursed, lightly stugged cream sandstone to the front elevation of the central block, with coursed and droved cream sandstone to the side elevations and droved ashlar dressings. The rear and additions are faced in squared and snecked tooled cream rubble, with dry-dashed finishes applied to additions on the north-east. The principal architectural features include a raised band course at principal floor level, corniced eaves throughout, and a continuous parapet to the centre. The flanking wings are topped by balustraded parapets. The central block is defined by giant order panelled quoin pilasters, whilst the flanking wings have droved long and short quoins. Windows at ground floor level to the front are squat—a result of a significant late 19th-century remodelling that removed the original central stair and reworked the entrance sequence, relocating access via the basement which subsequently became the ground floor. All windows have projecting cills.

On the south-east or entrance elevation, the three-bay central block projects slightly forward, centred on a projecting flat-roofed porch. This porch contains a two-leaf boarded timber door with an architraved surround and engaged columns, crowned by a block pediment. Above, a centred window with small-pane French windows and a round-arched bat-wing fanlight marks the first floor, with a single window aligned above. Single windows occupy the remaining ground and first floor bays of the central block. The two-storey flanking wings each contain single windows in both bays at both floor levels.

The south-west side elevation is notably complex, comprising seven bays. The most distinctive feature is a three-light shallow-bowed window set at both floors, positioned off-set to the right of centre. Adjacent to this, a timber panelled door at ground floor with a letterbox fanlight opens to a subsequent bay, with a single window at ground in the outer right bay. The remaining four bays to the left of the bow contain single windows at both floors. Above, a tripartite dormer rises from a taller recessed block.

The north-west rear elevation shows the main block with irregular fenestration and a central wallhead dormer. Projecting to the right is a two-storey flat-roofed addition with windows off-set to the left of centre, whilst a recessed two-storey dry-dashed addition stands to the outer left.

On the north-east side elevation, a two-storey wing projects at the outer left. To the right, a dry-dashed addition precedes a three-storey recessed block containing regularly spaced single windows at all floors, beyond which sits a two-storey flat-roofed addition set further to the right.

Windows throughout are timber sash and case with 12-, 16- and 20-pane glazing. Roofs are finished in grey slate with piended details and iron rainwater goods. The sandstone wallhead stacks are corniced, some fitted with circular cans.

The interior was substantially remodelled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries following the reconfiguring of entrance arrangements. The former basement now serves as the ground floor, accessed via a timber panelled hall featuring a segmental-arched red brick fireplace. Ground floor reception rooms retain boarded timber floors, plain plasterwork, timber panelled doors (some with architraved surrounds), timber shutters, and fireplaces. A stair accessing the first floor—which was formerly the ground floor—features dentil detailing to segmental brick arches, timber treads, ball-finialled fluted timber newels and timber uprights. The upper reception rooms are distinguished by decorative cornices, dado rails and panelling, and fireplaces with timber surrounds featuring carved swag detailing. The original entrance vestibule remains in place at this upper level. The stair continues to access further upper floors. Additional rooms were not examined at the time of the 1998 survey.