Stables, Ballochneck

Stables, Ballochneck

Dating to circa 1885, this is a U-plan stable block built into sloping ground, comprising a single storey with partially integrated basement and attic spaces. The building displays Scottish Baronial design throughout most of its extent, though a slightly earlier block forms the western end of the south wing in plainer style.

The main structure is built from coursed rubble with stugged red sandstone dressings, with stugged quoins and long and short surrounds throughout. The slightly earlier block uses coursed stugged sandstone with stugged sandstone dressings and droved inner surrounds. Both sections retain grey slate roofs, with original decorative fishscale slating applied to all but the earlier south wing block.

The design features crowstepped gables except to the plainer earlier block. At the western end of the north wing stands a miniature bartizan with crenellated parapet and blind arrowslits to the outer cardinal points, adjoined by a circular-plan dovecot turret with circular flight holes at the cardinal points. The dovecot is topped with a moulded eaves cornice surmounted by a conical roof, swept at the eaves and finished with a later flag finial.

The courtyard entrance is marked by a pair of square-plan red sandstone gatepiers at the centre, each with frieze, cornice and swept pyramid coping, with replacement timber gates between them. A low coped wall adjoins to the left. The western elevation's gable end of the south wing contains a boarded timber door entrance to its left.

The north elevation comprises four bays, each with a small horizontal ground floor window with splayed cill set just below the eaves. Blind keyhole arrowslits with circular motifs at top and bottom appear at the centre. The miniature bartizan and dovecot turret occupy the right arris.

The east elevation includes a window to the left of the ground floor and a small attic window within the gable. Two ground floor entrances pierce the central section; that to the left has been inserted or enlarged with a cast-iron lintel, with a small window set between them. A first floor window survives to the left, though the roofline above shows evidence of alteration. The lower section of a wall from a formerly adjoining stablemaster's or factor's house (now largely demolished) stands forward to the outer left, with a former entrance and inserted opening visible.

The south elevation shows the earlier block to the left with a small ground floor window at the outer left. An inserted timber door entrance with glazed upper panels and flanking window appears to the outer right. The lower wall section of the former stablemaster's or factor's house adjoins to the right, with a blocked entrance and flanking windows.

Within the courtyard, the north wing presents a large near-central entrance suitable for carriages, flanked by entrances with two-leaf boarded timber doors. The dovecot turret adjoins to the left arris, accessed via a Caernarvon-arched entrance. The east wing has a large inserted two-leaf timber door in an altered central bay, with a window to the left and the gable of the former factor's house to the right. The south wing's left section is opensided with cast-iron beam and column support, now altered.

Windows throughout are variously multi-pane timber sash and case, fixed pane, or fixed pane with top opening casement and shuttered frames. A coped ashlar gablehead stack with frieze stands at the western end of the north wing, though the cans are missing.

Internally, the north wing retains original timber horse stalls with cast-iron frames. A reinforced floor has been inserted to the first floor of the central section of the east wing. Cast-iron beams flanking shallow brick vaults are visible within the basement spaces.