Including Remnant Wall And Gatepier To Se Corner Of Site, Incorporating Fromer Crawford House With Assembly Room And Former Hamilton Palace Riding School, Low Parks Museum, 129 Muir Street

Multiphase museum site incorporating former house by James Smith (1696) and later former stable block by William Burn (1837-42) with alterations; glazed SE entrance and N range additions linking the two to form irregular-plan enclosed courtyard complex (1993-2000).

FORMER CRAWFORD HOUSE: 1696. L-plan with principal (S) 2-storey, 6-bay symmetrical elevation with projecting central pediment, steep-pitched piended roof and heavy stacks with paired recessed 3-storey, 3-bay wings to sides with tall wallhead stacks. Rendered with exposed margined quoins and window margins.

Stone sundials to upper eaves corners. Circa 1784, plain section to W side returning to form long range housing Assembly Room and former fives court to rear. INTERIOR: (seen 2013). Some good interior decorative finishes survive to interiors of former house, (upper floors not seen). Assembly Room with fine decorative detailing including curved balcony on 2 slender Ionic columns with plaster frieze to bowed balcony front, decorative cornice frieze with combed ceiling, delicate ceiling roses and timber and tiled fireplace. Round arched windows with panelled timber shutters. 6-panel doors with decorative carving. Curved boarded timber ceiling to former fives court to rear.

FORMER RIDING SCHOOL BLOCK: 1837-42. Tall, 6-bay, rectangular-plan, piended-roofed, red sandstone former riding school to E side of courtyard. High blind segmental arched elevations with semi-circular windows over running horizontal cill course. INTERIOR: (seen 2013). Plasterboard cladding to a high dado height with original exposed stonework above and flat boarded out ceiling in sections. Late 20th century stairs, mezzanine and exhibit spaces to interior.

12-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows to house, multipane to arched windows of former riding school and assembly room. Slate roofs with tall, shouldered corniced stacks to house.