Balfunning House

Balfunning House

A large castellated house designed by James Thomson of Baird and Thomson of Glasgow and built in 1883–84. The building is of Grade B listed status.

The house comprises a 2-storey main block with attic, organised on a 6-bay rectangular plan facing south, with a slightly narrower single-storey service wing to the north also rising to attic level. The design follows Scottish baronial principles, featuring main gables with crowstepped profiles, a circular-plan tower at the south-west corner, and a bartizan to the south-east corner. The walls are constructed of coursed rockfaced sandstone with ashlar dressings. The base course to the main block is complemented by a corbelled-out crenellated ashlar parapet at eaves level on the outer elevations, with bracketed sections; moulded eaves bands appear elsewhere. Windows to the main block have roll-moulded openings, while those elsewhere are chamfered. The arrises throughout are droved.

The principal south elevation presents a near-symmetrical 5-bay frontage with the circular-plan tower functioning as an additional outer bay to the left. A central entrance features a rectangular-plan porch with crenellated parapet and a small semicircular pediment at its centre; the entrance itself has a moulded architrave with inner roll-moulding and is fitted with a 2-leaf boarded timber door displaying elaborate strap hinges. The porch has narrow windows to its outer returns. Above and to ground and first-floor level on each side are windows; those above have hood-moulds, raised at their centres with scrolled stops. A pair of basement windows with pointed-centre lintels flanks the entrance. A round-arched breaking-eaves dormer with finialled shaped gable crowns the central bay, flanked by finialled pedimented dormers set back. The bartizan to the outer right angle contains a monogrammed panel inscribed W R A S and is topped by a band course. The circular-plan tower to the outer left bay projects slightly at ground level where it holds 5 windows; windows to the upper two floors light the central three bays, with those to the top floor being round-arched.

The west elevation presents an irregularly-fenestrated 3-bay section of the main block to the right, with the circular-plan tower visible as an additional bay to the outer right. The ground floor contains 2 windows, the left being a mullioned tripartite with relieving arch; the first floor has 3 windows and the attic has 2 breaking-eaves segmental-headed dormers. The dormer to the right sits within a gable-like extension of the parapet, which steps up on either side and points at its apex with flanking angled chimney stacks; the left dormer has a finialled crowstepped gable. The service wing to the left is set back and features an entrance with a bracketed canopy and a replacement part-glazed timber door with 2-light rectangular fanlight, flanked by windows (the right being mullioned bipartite). Above this is a ball-finialled gabled breaking-eaves dormer with flanking ball finials. A slightly projecting gabled bay to the left has a small segmental pediment at its apex and contains a mullioned and transomed 6-light rectangular bay window with crenellated parapet and droved chamfered arrises; a blind arrowslit appears in the gable.

The east elevation comprises a 3-bay section to the main block on the left. The outer flanking bays are gabled and ball-finialled, with that to the right projecting and corbelled out at arrises at attic level. Above the 10-light mullioned and transomed canted ground-floor window, corbelling extends at chamfered arrises to the first floor; this window is headed by a panel dated '1884' with a stepped band course above. A mullioned tripartite window with relieving arch sits above, and a corniced attic window with strapwork pediment crowns the bay. Each remaining bay contains windows to each floor except the central bay at ground level, with the upper floors of the central bay slightly recessed; a corniced attic window with strapwork pediment and a short pedimented dormer built above the parapet finish the central gable. The 4-bay service wing to the right is set back slightly; its left three bays contain windows to each floor with ball-finialled pedimented dormers to the attic, whilst a slightly projecting gabled bay to the outer right contains 2 ground-floor windows and one above.

The south elevation of the service wing comprises two sections, each with a breaking-eaves gable to its centre. The left section has a segmental-headed entrance to its right, fitted with a boarded timber door and rectangular fanlight. Above are a pair of breaking-eaves dormers to the central gable, with a window to the right below and an inserted garage door to the left. The right section has a recessed gable, a small piended-roofed lean-to flush with the left section, a large inserted opening to the right, and a small window to the left.

Windows throughout are principally 4-pane timber sash and case design. Roofs are laid in grey slate. Ridge stacks to the main block are coped; pairs of coped gablehead stacks appear to the north; coped ridge stacks and pairs of gabled stacks (one with nephews) serve the service wing; round cans finish these features. Largely original cast-iron rainwater goods are retained.

Interior

The house retains most of its original fixtures and fittings. The vestibule to the principal entrance is floored in Minton tiles incorporating medieval floral motifs. Two original 2-leaf doors with panels of etched and coloured glass displaying geometric floral designs open into the entrance hall. The entrance hall features a large full-height open stairwell with vaulted ceiling of geometric plaster panels and a central pitched rooflight, dominated by an imposing double staircase with turned timber balustrade and newel posts carved with capitals and urn finials. A large later stained-glass stair window, probably dating to the early twentieth century, depicts an imaginary medieval streetscape and bears the motto 'Gather Ye Roses While Ye May - Old Tyme is Still a Flying'. Original panelled timber doors throughout feature crenellated cornices in the entrance hall. A timber Jacobethan fireplace surround in the entrance hall has flanking columns carved as lions, with tooled leather panels above the mantelshelf. The morning room contains a similar fireplace surround of Jacobethan design with bracketed sides, bevelled glass and sunflower motif panels above the mantelshelf; the inner surround is lined with glazed blue tiles and has an embossed brass panel over the fireplace, whilst the ceiling cornice bears rose and thistle motifs. The drawing room and ante-drawing room feature raised plaster detailing of neo-Tudor design with timber fireplace surrounds incorporating bevelled glass and marquetry panels of Adam-type designs. The dining room has an ornately carved Jacobethan timber fireplace surround and a panelled plaster ceiling, with early and original fitted cupboards to the butler's pantry. The billiard room contains a bracketed boarded timber ceiling with central rooflight and a large carved timber fireplace surround with inner surround of green glazed tiles. An original water closet is housed in a boarded timber room. Lincrusta dados line much of the house.