Stables, Buchanan Castle, Drymen

The Stables, Buchanan Castle, Drymen

An early 19th-century stable block of classical design, built as part of the Buchanan Castle Estate. The building comprises a two-storey quadrangular range of three nearly symmetrical rectangular-plan ranges of seven or eight bays each, with a fourth range containing the principal entrance elevation facing northwest. It is constructed of tooled ashlar on the front elevation and squared rubble on the side and rear elevations.

The principal northwest entrance elevation features a central round-arched entrance pend with a pediment breaking the eaves, surmounted by a clock and weathervane at the apex. The end bays are emphasised by shallow recessed double-height arches with patterned render to the first floor level. The side ranges facing southwest and northeast, and the rear southeast elevation, display regularly disposed windows with a cavetto eaves cornice throughout. Several ground floor openings originally constructed as doorways have had their cills raised to form windows matching the original fenestration.

The windows are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case. The roof is pitched with graded slates and features several corniced ashlar ridge stacks, some of which are rendered.

Within the central cobbled courtyard, stone forestairs rise from either side of the pend, leading to first floor doorways located at the ends of the range. At the centre of the courtyard stands a square-plan ashlar pump with stone troughs at low level. Concrete porch additions dating from around the early 20th century have been constructed at each corner of the quadrangle.

The building is first documented on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1860, published 1863), where it is labelled as 'offices'. It was built to serve as the stables, offices and coach house for Buchanan Castle Estate, situated northwest of Buchanan Old House, a listed early 18th-century mansion which was substantially altered by John Adam in 1751 and James Playfair in 1789. Following a fire at Buchanan Old House in 1850, William Burn was commissioned to design Buchanan Castle in a new location to the southeast. The footprint of The Stables has remained substantially unaltered since the First Edition Ordnance Survey, except for a small addition to the northeast range visible on the Second Edition map (revised 1896, published 1898). The building was converted to flats in the late 20th century. The interior of the stables was not inspected in 2023.

The row of four single-storey and attic terraced mews cottages known as Buchanan Mews, which project from the northeast end of The Stables and also date to the early 19th century, are legally excluded from this listing due to substantial late 20th-century alterations including the loss of 19th-century fabric, additions of porches, rear extensions, blocking of original openings, creation of new openings, addition of dormer windows, and application of pebbledash render to the front elevation.