Description

George Simpson, architect, 1887-8. Large baronial villa with extensive conservatory and glasshouse range at W.

HOUSE: asymmetrical 2-storey house with E entrance front. Bullfaced rubble, contrasting tooled and polished ashlar dressings. Projecting square porch with segmental-headed entrance and crenellated wallhead; ornate panelled double-leaf door. Porch fronts tower-like centre bay rising above ridge with corbelled wallhead and steeply pitched crowstepped "cap house" roof. At left of entrance shallow projecting bipartite with corniced blocking course, decorative gablet-headed 1st floor window; ist floor oriel to right of centre.

Asymmetrical 4-bay S garden front with (right) ground floor projecting bowed 3-light window with corniced and ball finialled wallhead. Near centre 1st floor canted oriel; 2-storey angle drum tower at SW with narrow ground and 1st floor windows, deep eaves course with ball ornamentation and bellcast fish-scale conical slate roof with cast iron apex weathervane. Square 3-storey tower rises above W elevation with corbnelled and crenellated upper storey with angle bartizans and circular stair turret at NE. E,W and S upper storey elevations pierced by 3 narrow windows. Various ornamentation such as shaped or broken pediments to 1st floor windows; 2-pane glazing.

rowstepped gables; shaped coped wallhead and end stacks; slate roofs with decorative red tile ridges.

INTERIOR: panelled window shutters and doors; original carved wooden chimneypieces in public rooms; decorative plaster ceiling cornices.

CONSERVATORY-GLASSHOUSE RANGE: at W of house substantial glazed conservatory with 4-bay frontage, domed glazed roof supporting raised and domed toplight. Conservatory linked to house by 6-bay glazed passage with pitched glazed roof and pedimented porch similar to that fronting principal block. Extensive lean-to glass house at W.

Statement of Interest

Cathay built by a Mr John Kyle, an engineer who retired

to Forres after 18 years in China. He filled the house

with fine furniture and created an exotic garden.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17826239

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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  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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