Description

Alexander Boswell, 1785, with later alterations and additions. U-plan steading court with later stable range projecting to rear, forming 2nd court. Clock tower to centre of N range, above arch, formerly with lead-clad steeple, removed in 1991 (see Notes). Squared and snecked sandstone with harled addition to E range and recent single storey addition to W elevation, S end of E range.

E RANGE: W (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: granary and hayloft to N end; dairy to S end of steading; dwelling in 5 bays to outer right. 13-bay, grouped 3-1-4-1-3-1 (single storey except 2-storey 3-1 bay group to S). 1-3-1 bay groups to right currently used as farmhouse. 4-bay group: irregularly disposed with boarded door in bay to inner left, flanked to left by window (with iron bars); small high opening in bay to inner right (also with bars); duck entrance near ground with ashlar shelf beneath and slatted sliding door between bays to right; pend entrance in bay to outer right with boarded door. Enlarged, now bipartite window in single bay to right of 4-bay group. Small high opening (as to inner right of 4-bay group) in single bay group to left of 4-bay group. 3-bay group to outer left: irregularly-disposed (with wider spacing to left) boarded door to centre with piended hay-loft dormer above (breaking eaves). Window to each flanking bay (former door, now part blinded in bay to left). 3-bay group to right: raised polished ashlar margins to windows; flush quoins. Symmetrical group with regularly-placed windows at 1st floor. Modern (1994) addition at ground to centre and in bay to right, overlapping with 2-storey additional bay to outer right. Window at ground of bay to left. Modern addition of stugged ashlar with concrete dressings with piended roof and modern panelled door to N return elevation. Single bay to outer right later with bipartite window to each floor. S ELEVATION: harled with modern 4-leaf French window at ground. E ELEVATION: bays grouped 1-3-2-2-1-1. (Rubble, including whinstone to single storey 6 bays to N.) From left to right: single bay to later addition (to S) with bipartite window at 1st floor with advanced narrow chimney breast to right. 3-bay group: later 19th century single storey addition of stugged ashlar with droved ashlar dressings. Boarded door with plate glass fanlight above to centre; window in bay to right; advanced blank bay to left. 2-bay S return elevation with bipartite window in bay to left, window in bay to right. 2-bay group: window to left; pend entrance with boarded door to right. 2-bay group to right: single storey lean-to addition, rubble with tooled ashlar dressings with window opening to each bay. Boarded door to each return elevation. Window in single bay flanked to right by blank bay, abutting to outer right with E elevation of N range.

N RANGE: S (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 9 bay; symmetrical, ashlar. Round-arched opening to centre with raised band at impost level. Square-plan tower rising above eaves height with band course above eaves level; window to centre advanced bay. Cornice. Octagonal 3rd stage with ashlar urns to chamfered elevations (missing to SW and NW); clock to S elevation with corbelled broken pediment above, and to W, E and S elevations. 4th stage stepped in, octagonal with round-arched window to S, blinded to chamfered elevations (SE, SW, NE, NW). Cornice to wallhead. Originally with segmental arched opening at ground of each bay of flanking 4-bay groups. Modern sliding metal door in bay to inner left of 4-bay group to right (covering segmental arched opening); boarded with strip windows to openings to right of 4-bay group to right; recessed boarded partitions to opening in bay to outer left with boarded door. Boarded with strip window to each opening of 4-bay group to left, except in bay to outer right, with boarded door flanked by boarding. Wyatt windows (with blinded flanking lights and louvred opening to centre) to 1st above flanking bays and between inner bays of each group. E ELEVATION: (see E elevation of E range). Ground level raised (to 1st floor level) with door opening. N ELEVATION: not seen fully, 1996. Round-arched opening to centre, as to S elevation with similar features above to tower, except blinded window to 2nd stage and 4th stage. Lean-to open shed to left of centre. Therma window to outer left. Openings at ground and 1st floor of bays to right of centre.

W RANGE: former cow byre with barn and threshing barn to N end. Much altered with roof and walls removed, except:

E (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: asymmetrical arrangement of openings, many of which blinded. Modern shed adjoining to W.

E RANGE TO N: dated 1877. Single storey range with curvilinear gables. Stugged ashlar with droved ashlar dressings. Round-arched entrance opening to S, abutting N range of 1st courtyard. W ELEVATION: advanced gabled bay to inner left with 2-part boarded door at ground and 3-pane fanlight above; louvred opening to gablehead. Boarded door in bay to outer left with 2-pane fanlight above. Former door opening in bay to inner right, now partly blinded. Gabled bay to outer right with shield (with date) to gablehead above round-arched opening. E ELEVATION: 5-bay, each with window, except round-arched opening in gabled bay to outer left, with key-stone and shield to gablehead. INTERIOR: former working-horse stable; tack shafts in place. Later used as piggery; now workshop.

12-pane and plate glass timber sash and case windows to farmhouse; 12-pane timber sash and case windows to tower. Slate roof.

COURTYARD: with setts. Octagonal stugged ashlar coped wall to centre of courtyard, with wrought and cast-iron arrow-head fence and gate (with specially-designed duck hole); pond to centre. (See Notes).

Statement of Interest

This was the home farm for the Blackadder estate. It was also known as Blackadder Barns. It is one of the impressive steadings built after the Montgomery Act of 1770 which permitted proprietors to pass three- quarters of the cost of any state improvement to their successors. Circa 1775 (according to a note written by Robert Burns at the time of his Borders' tour in 1787) James Small of Blackadder Mount introduced the plough to Scotland (see Mrs Swan's presidential address). The clock mechanism is still extant in the tower. The bell is dated 1798. There is a pump house (NT8490 5386) on Blackadder Water (to NW of walled garden) which originally pumped water to Blackadder Mount by means of a timber-slatted undershot wheel. The water was stored in a tank in the tower (to give it height), and the pond was used as an overflow. The working-horse stable block was built at a time of great improvement on the estate (dating from the decade after, amongst other work done, Blackadder Mains steading was built.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17852920

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.

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