Bellfield, 9 Upper Bridge Street, Stirling

Bellfield, 9 Upper Bridge Street, Stirling

A late 18th century villa of symmetrical design, two storeys over a raised basement, arranged on a three-bay rectangular plan set on a sloping site that rises towards the northwest. The building has undergone significant later alterations, most notably an 1830s aggrandisement of its principal southeast elevation, which now features an imposing Greek-revival portico with heavily corniced and decorated entablature supported on fluted Doric columns raised upon plain steps. This elevation also displays architraved windows and tripartite windows to the first floor end bays. The timber panelled door is set with a geometric fanlight. Further alterations were made in the early 19th century with the addition of a single-storey and basement rear wing to the west, followed in the mid 19th century by a large gabled three-storey rear wing to the north, which creates an overall square-plan to the building.

The windows are predominantly 12-paned timber sash and case, all with architraves and margined surrounds. The principal elevation features bracketed lintels to the ground floor windows; these and other windows formerly had cornices, now missing as of 2003. The principal elevation is harled and framed by long and short quoins, while the southwest gable is rendered; other elevations are of random rubble. The pitched roof is covered in graded slate with a moulded eaves cornice to the principal elevation. Raised ashlar skews to the main house carry bracketed skewputts to the southeast, and corniced ashlar gable apex stacks with raised polished margins and circular clay cans.

The northeast elevation displays paired windows to ground and first floor levels with a central attic window. A band course runs the entire northeast elevation, with remnants of banded rustication visible to the east edge. Stone steps lead to the basement door, with a squat basement window to the right and a tall stair window to the rear mid 19th century wing, which features a large tripartite window with stop-chamfered mullions at first floor level.

The southwest elevation has single windows to ground, first and attic floors, with modern render possibly masking corresponding blocked windows at ground and first floor levels. The rear western wing shows irregular fenestration with a door at first floor level. A droved ashlar wall links the west quoin of the late 18th century house to the former boundary wall, creating a covered entrance to a side door. Two doorways are set within this linking wall: the left door is margined, while the right door has a decorative pilastered and gable-pedimented doorpiece. The wall carries a corniced parapet with blocking course, and a covered vestibule with mono-pitch roof is located to the rear. The northwest rear elevation features a three-storey gable wing to the left, which is windowless except for a single attic window, and a piended two-storey wing to the right with a lean-to laundry.

Interior

The basement of the late 18th century house comprises a series of former service rooms. To the east are rooms with stone flag floors, including a small room with stone slab shelves at waist height, possibly for food preparation, which opens via door and internal window to a former kitchen to the northeast. The kitchen retains timber boarded presses. A small vestibule to the north of the kitchen gives access to a stone double sink set at the base of a tall stair window, with a staircase opposite running to the ground floor. A room to the northwest contains a stone hob grate.

At ground floor level, the hallway has stone flags. A stone cantilevered stair at first floor ascends to the second floor, with timber stairs at second floor level; the handrail is timber with decorative cast iron balusters. Timber fielded panelled doors and window shutters are found throughout the house. The former dining room to the northeast at ground floor contains a black marble mantlepiece and decorated cornice, with a pair of presses to the northwest; the left press has a small glazed internal window opening into the service stairwell. The ground floor southwest area has been subdivided.

First floor bedrooms are fitted with simple cornices and timber mantlepieces with cast iron grates. A large room in the first floor of the three-storey wing features a black marble mantlepiece with console brackets decorated with thistle and shield motifs. Simple attic bedrooms occupy the second floor. The rear western wing contains a large renovated kitchen at first floor level with a sizeable range opening to the northwest and timber-lined open roofspace.

Boundary Walls and Garden Steps

Random rubble boundary walls enclose the property, low to the southeast and northwest, high to the northeast, with a modern rendered wall to the southeast creating a small front garden. A steep flight of stone steps, set back to the right of the principal southeast elevation, leads to the rear garden.