Description

1680. 2-storey and attic L-plan laird's house. Octagonal turnpike stair in re-entrant angle. Rubble, harled and painted, rusty orange walls with grey flush window surrounds.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: octagonal turnpike staircase in re-entrant angle: entrance door to ground floor right , small window to mid-floor upper 2-storeys, octagonal ogee slated roof, guilded weather cock surmounting; 2-storey single bay to left flank; 2-storey single bay to right flank, catslide dormer above; crowstepped gable, harled stack, stone neck cope, 3 plain terracotta cans, 2-storey single bay to gable end right; 1680 date stone in N gable of wing.

E ELEVATION: symmetrically placed 2-bay ground floor windows, window to 1st floor right; crowstepped gable-end, harled gablehead stack, stone neck cope, three plain terracotta cans

S (REAR) ELEVATION: symmetrical 3-bay fenestration to ground floor, outer bays to 1st floor, dovecote to centre; 2 modern Velux roof lights off centre right, small rooflight between.

W ELEVATION: slightly irregular fenestration, 3-bay with door ground floor right, 3 bay to 1st floor; gable-end, window off centre right, crow-stepped gable-end, harled gablehead stack, stone neck cope, 3 plain terracotta cans.

4-pane, 12-pane and 16-pane white timber sash and case windows to main floors. Piended graded Ballachulish slate roof; modern velux roof lights to rear elevation, catslide to dormer. Replacement white cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: original panelling and shutters to drawing room and bedroom above; original 2-panel 17th century timber doors; brass rim locks; black and white tiled fire surround; iron stair rail.

WALLED GARDEN: random rubble wall, stone copes containing garden, former stable courtyard and entrance courtyard, entrance gate to N boundary, S gate leading to woods.

Statement of Interest

The house was built as a country residence for the Frasers of Lovat, the first owner being an Edinburgh lawyer. It takes its inspiration from French architecture of the time. Ownership of Ford House was taken from the family due to their connections with the Jacobites. Bonnie Prince Charlie is alleged to have stayed here on his way South during the '45. The house and its land was merged into surrounding estates and suffered from chronic neglect in the last century. Fortunately, it was never modernised and had many original features remaining when it was bought by Frank and Mary Tindall who restored the house, circa 1960. The colour of the house has been put back to its original scheme, which was popular on houses of this type. The house has many interesting features. The roof of the stair tower had been a large-scale dovecote, with nesting boxes for a hundred pairs of birds, they now nest outside. The 17th century panelling in the drawing room is said to have influenced Sir William Bruce's work at Holyrood. The walled garden used to contain bee-boles and many fruit trees, but pre-restoration it became so overgrown, only an apple tree and yew tree survive. The Tindall's redesigned the flower garden into terraces and lawns and a walled fruit and vegetable garden now lies to the side of the house.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17570529

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)