Bell Tower, Monteviot House

Monteviot House is an extensive, multi-period country house developed substantially from an early 18th century Palladian-style villa that is likely to contain 16th century fabric. The building has a roughly L-plan form with a U-plan service courtyard to the north. The original villa to the south was extended with Edward Blore neo-Tudor additions to the east and north from 1830 to 1832, followed by a further extension to the north in 1877. Substantial reordering and extension to the west, including a formal hall and main entrance, was carried out by Walter Schomberg Scott in 1961 to 1963. An integral chapel was added in 1960. The building is predominantly two storeys with some wallhead dormers.

The 18th century section is constructed of harled rubble with ashlar margins. The 19th century sections are of squared and coursed stugged sandstone. The 20th century wing is rendered with narrow ashlar margins. The Blore section features hoodmoulding. There is a variety of window openings including some tripartite, round-arched and segmental-arched examples.

The south (garden) elevation presents a symmetrical two-storey, three-bay former villa with flanking concave quadrants linking single-storey, three-bay pavilions with canted bay windows to the south. A blocking course runs across the house with stone ball finials. To the right, a linking wing leads to the 1830 to 1832 extension with a bay window to the south.

The east elevation shows a five-bay 1830 to 1832 wing to the left with a gabled bay and oriel window at the far left. An advanced, lower, U-plan gable-ended service court stands to the right with a linking single-storey range. A further single-storey linking corridor extends to a three-stage square-plan balustraded water tower from 1877 at the far right, which has square and pepperpot turrets at its corners.

The north (entrance) elevation consists of an eight-bay, double-height 1961 to 1963 extension linked to a later piended roof extension. A blocking course is present, with an off-centre moulded doorcase containing an internal part-glazed timber entrance door. This connects to the 19th century wing to the left, which advances north and leads to an open entrance to the service courtyard.

The house features a variety of glazing patterns in timber frames, including tall, multi-astragalled timber windows in the 1960s great hall. Other windows are predominantly multi-astragalled or plate glass timber sash and case, with some casement windows. Some roofs are piended. The roof covering is grey slate. Wallhead and gable end chimney stacks are present, some with tall, polygonal and grouped diamond-shaft chimney pots. Some decorative iron rainwater goods are visible.

The interior contains fine decorative features from the various building periods, partly remodelled by Schomberg Scott in the 1960s. The centrepiece is the fine 1960s great hall with a shallow timber vaulted ceiling, timber floor and staircase, and a gallery with wrought iron balustrade by Thomas Hadden of Edinburgh. The ground floor of the 18th century house has been reconstructed to form a library with colourful ceiling paper by Schomberg Scott, with smaller rooms above. The dining room features a 19th century plaster panelled ceiling and classical fire surround. The drawing room has a high coved ceiling and an 18th century decorative fire surround with fluted columns and frieze. Other rooms retain decorative cornicing and fire surrounds.

The chapel is located in the north wing and was remodelled from the former servants' wing by Schomberg Scott in 1960. It features timber panelling with a carved timber screen to the west and carved timber statues of Border saints.

A bell tower stands to the northwest, sited on a small rise. Dating to the 19th century, it is of square plan with a battered profile surmounted by an open bellcote. It is constructed of rubble with ashlar margins.

Garden terraces to the south and west form a late 19th century series of mainly rubble sandstone falling terraces to the south of the house. A buttressed retaining wall stands at the north and a circular parapetted bastion to the west. A curved wall to the further west leads to an integral brick ornamental alcove with flanking pedestrian entrances featuring decorative iron gates. Shallow steps with stone balustrades with ball finials lead down to the River Teviot.