Description

Circa 1650. 3-storey L-plan laird's house with 18th century 2?-storey wing to W. Octagonal turnpike stair in re-entrant angle. Rubble, harled and painted white. Flush window margins; crowstepped gables.

EAST WING (ORIGINAL HOUSE):

NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: octagonal stair in re-entrant angle: roll-moulded and corniced Renaissance entrance doorway to ground floor, small window to left, plain inset stone plaque above door, small windows to mid-floor upper 3-storeys; octagonal slate roof, finial surmounting; 3-storey single bay to each flank; symmetrical 2nd and 3rd storey 2-bay fenestration to right return; coursed sandstone stack, neck cope, 3 plain cans. Modern single storey addition (adjoining West Wing): double doors to centre, window to flanks; window and door to right return; slate roof.

NE ELEVATION: blind aperture to ground floor left, window to 2nd and 3rd storey left, small blind window to left gablehead, SE (REAR) ELEVATION: regular 4-bay fenestration; door to 2nd right bay, ground floor.

SW ELEVATION: ground floor adjoining newer W wing; windows to 2nd and 3rd storey.

WEST WING (18th CENTURY WING):

NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: door to second bay left; single windows flanking, regular 4-bay fenestration to 1st floor; small round stair turret in re-entrant angle, window to mid-storey, capped slate roof; single storey extension adjoining left, entrance door, window to left, lean-to slate roof; adjoining stone boundary wall creating courtyard to front, double entrance gates.

SW ELEVATION: plain stone skewed gable end, irregular 2?-storey fenestration, stone chimney-stack, pair of cans.

SE (REAR) ELEVATION: 2-storey, 4-bay regular fenestration, door between ground floor right bays; chimney-stack to centre, stone neck cope, three cans.

NE ELEVATION: adjoining older house, now East Wing.

12-pane timber sash and case windows to front, 6-pane to stair turret, 4-pane and 9-pane to East Wing rear. Grey slate roof; octagonal slated roof to turret. Crowstepped gable, coursed stone chimney piece, neck cope, three plain cans. Replacement cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: modernised interior to both wings, although some original fireplaces to 3rd storey East Wing.

Statement of Interest

Superseded Crichton Castle as seat of the Lairds of Crichton. The house is well documented as having a formal garden by 1729. It was laid out in the French style by James Justice who wrote the Scots Gardiners Directory, 1754. A pineapple stove was designed by Richard Cooper and the house is known to have had well wooded grounds. The house passed to the Callanders of Westerton, Stirlingshire, 1792. It was the residence of William Burn Callender, Esq who eventually moved the family to the new seat of Preston Hall, Cranston. One of the roads used to approach the house is called the Laird's Entry and refers to the entrance used by the owner and important visitors. The house was used as a farmhouse for many years, but because of its size not all of the rooms were used. Many windows were in-filled, but it has now been remodelled by John Gibbons (Architect) and split into two dwelling houses. Ancillary buildings have been turned into garages.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17570536

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas