Finnich Malise

Finnich Malise is an early 19th-century mansion with late 19th-century additions, built around 1806 when the property passed to William Leckie on the death of the last Stewart family member who had owned the estate since the late 17th century. The house was extended with wings in the late 19th century (both visible on the 1898 Ordnance Survey map but absent from that of 1865), likely by John Wilson, a Glasgow shipowner, who acquired the property after it was split up and sold in 1873. The house later passed to Mrs Amy Shand in 1928, who undertook substantial internal modernisation, and subsequently to the Mitchell family for much of the latter 20th century.

The building is a two-storey mansion with attic and basement, comprising a symmetrical three-bay main block with flanking two-storey and basement wings. It is constructed in red sandstone ashlar, partially rendered, with a moulded eaves cornice surmounted by a low parapet. A cill band runs along the ground floor windows (except on the north side of the main block), and moulded architraved openings feature throughout except to the basement of the principal elevation and rear north side of the original block. Vertical pilaster-like margins appear at the angles of the original block and west wing.

The principal south elevation comprises seven bays, with a central entrance accessed via steps. A pilastered doorpiece with entablature is surmounted by a replacement six-panel timber door and leaded fanlight. Flanking windows occupy each floor, with an additional window at first floor and attic level. Later flat-headed dormers punctuate the attic, and two later wings set back slightly to either side contain windows at first and second floors, with basement windows to the right wing.

The north elevation has five bays with later flat-headed dormers to the attic. A later wing set back to the right features a two-light mullioned window at basement, whilst a canted three-sided bay projects from a later wing to the left. A cill course runs at first floor level. The east elevation comprises three bays to the later wing with windows to ground and first floors in each bay, save the central bay of the first floor where the window to the left has been blocked. The west elevation features a canted three-light window to ground and first floor of the later wing.

Windows throughout are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case. The roofs are piended grey slate, more steeply pitched over the later attic additions to the main block. Tall coped ridge chimney stacks crown the main block, with coped ridge and wallhead stacks to the east wing, and a later pair of projecting wallhead chimney stacks with round cans at the east end.

The interior retains substantial neo-Georgian fixtures and fittings of early to earlier 20th-century date. Doorcases incorporate Adamesque fan-like motifs, timber panelled dado extends across most of the ground floor, and the living room features full-height timber panelling with fitted bookcases containing central arched sections and a carved timber fireplace surround incorporating fasces-type motifs. The dining room has a dentilled dado, carved timber fireplace surround with egg and dart motif, and marble inner surround, alongside an intact dumb waiter to the adjacent serving space. A rear sitting room retains a grey marble fireplace surround (probably slightly earlier than other fittings), panelled walls, and a fluted border to the ceiling. A principal staircase of circa 1930s date winds through the house, accompanied by a servants' staircase with cast iron balustrade.

The associated summer house, dating to the early 20th century, is a square-plan boarded timber structure with a pyramidal thatched roof featuring overhanging eaves. It is accessed via a four-leaf timber door with glazed upper panels, flanked by a serpentine timber handrail to lower outer flanking panels. Windows occupy the flanking sides. The summer house was formerly mounted on a wheel mechanism which allowed it to be rotated. It remains among a relatively small number of thatched buildings found across Scotland.

Finnich Malise is listed as a group with the Steading/Stable Block, Entrance Lodge, Gateway, and Walled Garden.