Former Steading And Other Ancillary Buildings, Kennels

Former Steading And Other Ancillary Buildings, Kennels

The principal house, dating from 1848, is a 2-storey, multi-gabled laird's house with deep bracketed eaves, gabled first-floor windows, a gabled entrance lobby, tripartite windows on the south-east elevation, and a large canted bay window on the south-west elevation. It is a good and little-altered example of an early Victorian medium-sized country house. Although the elevational treatment is quite plain, the house has considerable presence when viewed from its drive.

The main part of the house lies to the south-east, with a slightly lower service wing to the north-west behind; single-storey sections adjoin the rear elevation. The entrance is on the north-east elevation, which has four bays: a 2-bay section at the centre, a slightly advanced gable to the left, and a lower service wing recessed to the right. The entrance porch or lobby adjoins the central section, with three steps leading to a low balustraded platform in front of the front door. The principal south-east elevation is symmetrical with a central advanced gable and tripartite windows at ground-floor level in the flanking bays. The south-west elevation is similar to the north-east, with an advanced gable to the right and service wing recessed to the left. Fenestration is regular except for a 4-light canted bay window at ground-floor level within the gable.

Interior: Two-leaf half-glazed doors lead from the lobby to a broad central corridor, from the centre of which a timber stair with turned balusters rises. The stained glass in the stair window was inserted around 2000. Chimney pieces feature in the principal rooms and some bedrooms. Roll-moulded cornicing and 4-panel timber doors are found throughout. The former butler's pantry retains its dresser. A bell box survives with some of the bells still in working order.

Materials: The front door is timber-panelled. Windows are timber sash and case with predominantly 12-pane glazing. The walls are constructed of squared, coursed local stone with raised, droved and chamfered sandstone window and door margins. The roof is graded grey slate with later red terracotta ridge tiles. Chimney stacks are coped with yellow clay cans.

A lawn terrace extends to the south-east and south-west of the house.

The Gardener's Cottage, dating from circa 1880 and situated to the north-west of the house, is a single-storey-and-attic, 3-bay cottage with gabled dormers and a substantial timber porch with log columns to the front elevation. It features a 2-leaf timber-panelled door and 8-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. The stacks are gablehead with yellow clay cans. The walls are random rubble, the roof is graded grey Scottish slate, and the eaves are deep and bracketed. A flat-roofed rendered addition extends to the rear. This is an attractive and relatively unaltered example of a traditional local style.

The Steading or Stables, probably dating from the early 19th century, consists of an L-plan single-storey range with some cast-iron roof lights and white-washed rubble walls. A very ruinous 2-storey former house stands opposite to the east.

The Kennels comprise 3-bay random rubble enclosures.

The Gate Lodge, dating from circa 1890 and situated to the south-east of the house, is a single-storey-and-attic, 3-bay cottage with gabled dormers, a canted bay window, and a timber porch. The walls are random rubble with long and short sandstone dressings. It is a slightly grander version of the Gardener's Cottage, though it was thoroughly modernised internally with new slates and timber windows around 2000.

A single-arch rubble bridge with quartz coping stones is located in front of the Gate Lodge.