Walled Garden, Bonnytoun House, Linlithgow

Walled Garden, Bonnytoun House, Linlithgow

Attributed to Thomas Hamilton, circa 1840. A Grade B listed 2-storey house over basement with an almost square plan, built in Tudor style. The walls are constructed of cream squared, coursed and roughcast sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings to the porch, base course, and window surrounds. The building features canted bays, an eaves course, and bipartite windows with finialled dormerheads. Windows throughout are bipartite and tripartite with chamfered moulded architraves, and hoodmoulds or cornices to the south, west and east elevations. The south and west elevations have bracketed cills with bolection moulding and raised angle margins.

The south (entrance) elevation is arranged in 3 bays. A taller gabled and finialled bay is advanced to the left, with a lower 2-bay section to the right. A projecting porch is set in the re-entrant angle, accessed by a flight of 6 steps flanked by tapering dies. The porch entrance has a moulded architrave and hoodmould, with octagonal panelled columns at the corners topped by clustered consoles as capitals. Above runs a frieze and dentilled cornice, with a balustraded parapet and panelled pedestals bearing ball finials at each corner. A round-headed window appears in the right return. The doorpiece features a moulded architrave flanked by narrow lights and a fanlight, with a fielded panelled door beyond. A very small window and bipartite window occupy the far right, while a canted bay window with a blocking course sits to the left. Dormerheaded bipartites appear over the porch (rendered and lined) and to the right, with a tripartite window to the left.

The west (side) elevation mirrors the south elevation, featuring corniced bipartite windows to two bays at ground level to the right, with dormerheads above. A canted window serves the basement and ground floor at the left, with a tripartite window above.

The north (rear) elevation comprises 3 bays. An advanced gabled bay to the left contains a door and window to the basement, with bipartite windows at ground and first floor levels. A 2-bay wing to the right has windows to both basement and first floor, and an advanced squared bay at the far right with a 4-light mullioned window at ground level, corbelled at first floor with a blind bipartite window and blocking course. A single-storey wing over basement in an L-plan extends to the far left, with a small window in an advanced gabled bay and a fanlit door with cornce on the right return. Windows serve the right wing and left (east-facing) return.

The east (side) elevation displays 4 bays. A taller gabled bay at the far left has a corbelled stack at its apex. A lower single-bay link with small windows at ground and first floor connects to the right. A gabled bay with bipartite windows at ground and first floor sits to the far right, alongside the east elevation of the L-plan wing. The tallest gabled bay features a lead-paned stair window, recessed at the centre above the link bay.

Throughout the building, glazing patterns vary but are predominantly 8-pane sash and case windows to each light. The roof is of grey slate with a roof light on the south elevation. Gablets have coped skews with moulded and bracketed skewputts. A fine display of corniced and coped sandstone diamond stacks, arranged in groups of 2, 4 and 5, rises from the roof, each topped with moulded cans.

Interior

The interior retains fine classical decoration. A central staircase hall features a well stair with serpentine cast-iron balusters and a triple arcade on the first floor landing. The ceiling exhibits a dentil and console cornice with a centrepiece of lotus leaves and key pattern border. The study contains an Adam-style chimneypiece with marine theme motifs. The dining room displays a console cornice and a similar ceiling centrepiece to the hall, with a sideboard recess framed by columns resembling those on the porch, topped with capitals of eight consoles beneath a plain abacus. Rococo pelmets and an Adam-style chimneypiece with marine motifs decorate the room, and the frieze is moulded with tiny copperplate initials R and F. The drawing room features a partly coffered ceiling with a centrepiece of acanthus leaves and bracketed cornices over the doors.

Walled Garden and Stack

The walled garden has rubble walls with an entrance inscribed 1848 on either side, set within an open-apex pediment cradling a ball finial. A chimney stack inside the garden bears a cusped cornice and panels depicting rampant lions and coroneted roses.