High Mains, Buchanan Estate

High Mains is a late Regency farmhouse, dating to the earlier 19th century. It was likely designed by W.H. Playfair, and features walled gardens and outbuildings to the rear. The house is composed of a symmetrical, two-story central block with flanking single-story wings, all set within a landscaped setting on the Buchanan Castle estate. Its location, terminating a principal avenue from Buchanan Old House, was intended to make it an eye-catching feature of the estate landscape.

The central block has three bays, with a projecting, pedimented bay in the centre which has a frieze ornamented with paired triglyphs and a round-headed window (originally a doorway). The eaves have modillion-style detailing. The flanking wings each have four bays, featuring alternating round-headed and lancet windows, and are gabled with broad strip quoins. A 20th-century addition connects the end of the northeast wing to a single-story outbuilding range (oriented southeast-northwest) at the rear. The wings are extended by exposed random rubble garden walls that return to create a large rectangular enclosure to the rear.

A 20th-century harled cottage stands at the southwest corner of the walled garden. Remnants of 19th-century outbuildings exist as walling in the center of the yard. A timber and glazed conservatory was added to the rear of the house in the later 20th century.

The house is mostly harled, with random rubble used for the garden wall and the southwest elevation of the outbuilding range. The roofs are piended and covered with graded slate. Windows are timber sash and case, with varying numbers of panes (12, 8, 6, and 4). A central ridge stack is located at the centre of the central block, and a wall head stack is located at the rear of the southwest wing, both with circular cans. Access to the interior was not possible in 2004.