32-34 East High Street, Lauder

This is a mid-19th century, L-shaped house, extended in the later 19th century, now divided into two properties at 32-34 East High Street, Lauder. The building is situated on a slope, with access at both ground and first floor levels. It is constructed of coursed snecked whinstone with sandstone ashlar dressings. A continuous eaves band serves as a string course across the gables of the original section. The windows have architraves with flanking, alternating blocks, and vertical margins at the corners are also emphasised with alternating blocks. Coped gables finish the roofline.

The east (entrance) elevation has a symmetrical arrangement. A central first-floor entrance, which appears as a ground-floor entrance on this side, has flanking pilasters topped with a plain architrave featuring a moulded cornice. The door is a four-panel timber design with a rectangular fanlight above. Dormer windows with slated gabled roofs are located on either side of the entrance.

The northeast elevation shows the gable end of the original block to the left and an entrance, possibly inserted, with a rendered architrave to the right of centre and a four-panel timber door with a three-pane fanlight. A window is situated to the right; a later garage entrance with a rendered architrave is to the left. There are two windows on the first floor and a small window in the gable above. The right-hand side features two regularly fenestrated bays belonging to the later wing, with slated gabled dormers in the attic.

The southwest elevation displays an architraved entrance with narrow flanking lights to the first floor of the tower, positioned at ground level on this side, at the junction of the two wings. A tall window sits above the entrance. The gable end of the original block projects forward to the right, with two first-floor windows and two basement windows below, and a small window in the gable. A single bay of the northwest wing is set back to the left of the tower, featuring a first-floor and ground-floor window, the latter serving as a basement window.

The northwest elevation, adjoined by 30 East High Street, has an attic window to the right of the gable. A blank elevation belongs to the tower recessed to the right, and the SE block slightly projects beyond it.

Most windows are timber sash and case with 12 panes. The roofs are covered in grey slate, with the tower roof being piended, swept at the eaves, and topped with brattishing. The chimney stacks are constructed of coursed whinstone with quoins; one has been lowered, one has moulded ashlar coping, and all are topped with octagonal cans.

A whinstone rubble terrace wall with rounded sandstone coping is located to the east of the house on the north and east sides. Cast iron railings with stylised floral finials run along the top of the wall. Two entrances, possibly inserted, have rendered architraves on the north side; the western one likely contains a store room built into the terrace, and the eastern one has a keystone bearing a cast iron figure of a lion rampant bearing a dagger and fleur-de-lys, surmounted by a coronet—an adaptation from the coat of arms of the Maitland family/Dukes of Lauderdale. This entrance leads to a flight of steps up to the top of the terrace and the main entrance.