Park Of Drumquhassle

Park of Drumquhassle

This is a substantial country house of 1839, designed by Mr Baird of Glasgow, with a major addition to the west of circa 1920 by William C Boyd, also of Glasgow. The original building is a two-storey, three-bay rectangular-plan main block with contemporary single-storey and attic service section adjoining to the east. A narrower two-storey wing of circa 1920 adjoins to the west.

The original main block displays Jacobethan design with irregular gabled elevations and gabled dormers. It features a gabled porch with Tudor-arched entrance opening and mullioned and transomed ground floor windows to the principal north elevation. The building is harled with droved sandstone ashlar dressings, a base course and eaves cornice to the original sections, and coped gables with bracketed block skewputts. The circa 1920 western addition has overhanging eaves.

The principal north elevation shows the original three-bay main block at centre. A projecting porch with shouldered gable (plain roundel at apex with truncated finial) marks the slightly recessed central bay. The Tudor-arched entrance has a splayed reveal and a splayed reveal behind with a moulded reveal set back. The door is a two-leaf part-glazed panelled timber door with fanlight. Above rises a dormer with shouldered breaking-eaves gable, roundel at apex with ball finial. The flanking bays set forward slightly: the left bay is gabled with a short pillar attached at the apex and ball finial above the roofline; the right bay has a small bracketed breaking-eaves panel at the left arris where it meets the recessed central bay. Windows to each floor occupy each bay; those to the ground floor are mullioned and transomed quadripartites with bracketed cornices, while that to the right of the first floor is a gabled breaking-eaves dormer. The circa 1920 section adjoins to the right with a single bay on its left side containing windows to each floor (the first floor window a gabled breaking-eaves dormer). A slightly projecting section adjoins to the outer right with a small ground floor window to its left and another to the right of the first floor. The original service wing is set back slightly to the outer left; a gabled section projects slightly to the right with two ground floor windows and an attic window to the gable. A later single-storey addition adjoins projecting to the far left.

The south elevation displays the original three-bay main block at centre with a gabled bay to the left (block skewputt extended and surmounted by ball finial). Windows occupy each floor of each bay, with those to the first floor of the two bays to the right being gabled breaking-eaves dormers. The original service section is set back slightly to the outer right; a gabled section projects slightly to the left with windows to each floor. The circa 1920 wing adjoins set back to the outer left. An entrance set back within a round arch lies to the right; the gabled upper part of this bay is jettied out slightly with a corbelled skewputt to the left and plain panel to the gable. Windows to each floor occupy the left side; that to the first floor is a recessed bow window. The left return of the original main block adjoins at right angles to the right, featuring a mullioned and transomed canted eight-light window to the ground floor. A breaking-eaves dormer with shouldered gable (roundel at apex with moulded skewputts) rises above to the right, with a narrow probably-inserted window to the left.

The east elevation shows a later single-storey L-shaped addition projecting across most of the ground floor. The double gable end of the original service section is set back with attic windows visible to each gable. An entrance lies to the outer left, equipped with a part-glazed timber door with two-light rectangular fanlight.

The west elevation comprises a single bay to the circa 1920 addition with a mullioned canted tripartite window to the ground floor and a breaking-eaves dormer with piended roof above.

The windows are mainly twelve-pane timber sash and case. Roofs are grey slate with valley roofs to the original main block and service section, and a piended roof to the circa 1920 addition. The original main block has a pair of ridge stacks (both originally gableheads) to the north ridge and one to the south ridge, with a gablehead stack also to the south; all are corniced. A tall corniced wallhead stack with stepped shoulders rises to the north elevation of the circa 1920 addition. Stacks are predominantly fitted with round cans.

The interior retains its original layout largely intact. A dog-leg staircase with winders features a cast-iron balustrade with timber handrail.

A pair of square-plan sandstone ashlar gatepiers, probably dating to circa 1920 and constructed together with the western addition, stand to the west attached to a low coped wall adjoining the house. Both have fielded panels to each side and are surmounted by large pine cone finials, probably of 18th century date.