Jess Cottage, Carlops

This is a late 18th century row of four single-storey, three-bay former weavers’ cottages. The cottages are constructed of rendered rubble with painted ashlar dressings. Some of the window openings have been enlarged, and there have been canted window additions to Springbank and Carberry. A gabled timber porch addition has been added to Langskaill. Further single-storey flat-roofed additions and dormers are present at the rear.

The windows are timber sash and case, with a variety of glazing patterns. The roof is covered in grey slate, with end and ridge stacks topped with tall clay cans. Other detailing includes ashlar skewbacks and cast-iron rainwater goods.

The cottages are part of a larger group of buildings designated as a group of local importance, comprising six other cottages (Ferndale, Houlet, Amulree, Finlaggan, Blinkieknowe, Birkenbush), three cottages (Ashley, The Biggin, Weavers), Carlops Church, the Pentland and Elphinstone, the Allan Ramsay Hotel, and the cottages of Springbank, Carberry, Langskaill, and Jess (listed separately).

This row of cottages contributes to the traditional character of Carlops, a village largely defined by this style of building. Originally, the ground floor plan of each cottage was identical, with a kitchen and workroom flanking a through-passage leading from the front door. Both rooms originally accommodated box beds and wide lintelled sandstone fireplaces with rounded corbels in the kitchen, although these features no longer survive.

The village was established in 1874 by Robert Brown, the laird of Newhall, who laid out rows of cottages along the main Edinburgh to Biggar road. As the textile industry declined, the village became a health resort for summer visitors, and remains popular with day visitors and walkers exploring Pentland Hill. The village retains its traditional appearance, influenced by its linear layout.